No-Bender Revamped!
by Dragonsssss
Summary: When a certain young viking is born in a village full of elementals and has no element, he's picked on and made fun of. But, when he meets a certain ominous fury, he realizes fate has a lot more in store for him that he thought! Rated T for future violence, possible cursing, and because better safe than sorry. Avatar/Bending AU, Spirit Animal AU, anything related to that as well
1. A Smidget of Hope

**Welcome one, welcome all, to my first fanfic rewritten! To old fans and new, I'm sure you'll enjoy this, or at least more than the last one...!**

 **The last one...**

 ***shudder***

 **Well, anyways..uh, let's move on! This story will be updated at least once a week IF I HAVE THE TIME! I can guarantee that at the start, it'll be faster! And, at turning points, it'll be faster! I'll try my best to keep away from hiatuses, but I'm known for always going on 'em, so sorry...**

 **Anyways, feedback is definitely appreciated! It keeps me writing, so don't hesitate to write a review!**

 **Anyways...into the story!**

The way the vast blue sea rocks the world with it's melodic rises and crashes is interesting, in a way. The large titled arcs impact a feeling of serenity and peace, but only during calm and peaceful days. When the sky pours and roars when alight, the waves are threatening and intimidating. They wouldn't hesitate to run down anything in their path as they pound along the rocking sea surface.

It's beautiful when the soft white lines the ocean in small, stuttering lines. And how with each lap at the shore, the ocean seems to yearn for nothing more than to become frozen to the very same shore. Every day, though, it slowly pulls away. And every day, it slowly sneaks up on the shore, and before it knows, the water is upon it, eager to chat again.

But, on the days when the sea is angered, it won't bother being careful. Maybe the humans had done something to upset it that day; it wasn't exactly unlike them. Or, maybe it had gotten sick and tired of the blood being leaked into it from the deaths of it's inhabitants due to it's inhabitants. Or maybe, it just was in a bad mood. Though, whatever the matter may be, on those days, the tides would wreak havoc on the poor, unsuspecting shore that gave way to land. Land that may be shelter to the vile humans.

The humans weren't a particular favorite of many, especially dragons. And, especially on the small junk-heap-like island dubbed Berk.

It wasn't an island one would really boast about seeing. It couldn't be bigger than about 3 large, alpha-type dragons ( **A/N: By that, I mean Red Death or Bewilderbeasts, a name sounded awkward there** ).

But, the inhabitants were a different story entirely.

I mean, you see warriors everywhere. If an island with humans has no human warriors, it's pretty much doomed. Traders are needed, too. Farmers, butchers, artisans; the list could go on near endlessly. But, Berk was a surprising island. On it, the humans were unique, in a word. Gifted might be a better one.

The humans there had a talent that had been passed on from child to child, a blessing that had unfathomable potential.

They were able to manipulate the world around them. Some the liquid that blessed the earth that others could shape and meld. Others were able to summon fires that struck fear into the hearts of the most powerful chieftains and rulers. Granted, hidden fear, but fear nevertheless.

The dragons that lived nearby were commanded by a powerful queen, a Seadragonus Giganticus Maximus, or for the less knowledgeable, a Red Death. There had always been one there, before the vikings had arrived on Berk. Whenever one died, there was a 2-3 month gap where dragons would come and go, using the new open space for their nests, their families, their own 'packs', so to say, and their own food. Of course, it wouldn't take long for another queen to hatch or show up to claim the space, taking the dragons residing there along with it. They would be commanded to bring food, and food fast. The only other option was instant death, which was better than slowly dying while stabbed by a single tooth as the queen chomped as slow as her attention span would allow, the optimist or queen supporter might point out.

So, it wasn't a huge surprise that when the vikings showed up, the dragons instantly started using them as a food source. Whether it be the humans themselves or their food depended on the time of year, the hunger of their queen, and the danger in which the dragons faced.

But, vikings, being the stubborn and resilient group they were seemed to simply laugh or scoff at the dragons, much to their disadvantage. After all, vikings were still vikings. Whoever thought some giant, 20 foot tall beasts with scales, fire, and wings would scare them off knew nothing!

After centuries of dragon against man, and man against dragon, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III was born. He was born early, therefore smaller than the average viking newborn, hence the name. However, despite this, his parents believed that he would become the strongest in their village, or even better, the strongest viking of all.

In honesty, his father really thought that himself. Valka, his mother, knew that she would be proud of him no matter how he turned out. She'd prefer if he was more peaceful and kind, especially towards dragons, though. Valka thought that dragons weren't the vile and cruel creatures that they had made them out to be. She thought that, if given a chance, they could be loving creatures, even possible allies.

Hiccup's mother had always thought that they might be forced to steal and kill, but she hadn't any proof. Without any proof, all she could do was stand in front of a human every now and then to shield a dragon from an attack, and if she was lucky, she'd catch the fighter by surprise and the dragon would fly off in the gap of time. Of course, it began to anger the townspeople after a few months, and they started to ignore her, pushing past. They all did, except for Stoick, Hiccup's father. He would never dare to push her or possibly hurt her, it was much too risky.

One day, though, he got angry and yelled, fed up with it. Valka stormed off and then saw a dragon inside her home, where Hiccup, a baby was. She ran inside, shocked when she stopped and found that the dragon was merely playing with her child. Valka didn't know what to say. She simply froze, the thought that everything she had believed was true running over and over again in her mind. It was a Stormcutter, a dragon breed that wasn't particularly common. She knew that this breed, or maybe even this particular dragon was rarely ever seen, and when it was, the dragon was always peaceful. If it steal, it'd be nothing more than a fish, let alone killing a human. She simply watched as the dragon rocked her child's cradle back and forth gently, with all the care in the world. Her child grabbed at it's talon, and the dragon seemed to smile, pulling it's talon back every time the human grabbed for it.

It went on like this, the room seemingly oblivious to the death and destruction outside. That was until a certain viking, the father, burst in. He screamed, leaping towards the dragon with his axe. The dragon yelped, pulling it's talon away and scratching the child by accident. As it's head whipped around, Valka and the Stormcutter's eyes met, and for a split second, time seemed to freeze for everyone but the two. It's large and anything-but-evil eyes stared at her curiously and thoughtfully, before it's pupils dilated into fearful slits, an axe nearly beheading it. It spewed fire, a concentrated line that instantly lit their destroyed house. It was driven by fear as it returned to staring at Valka, and before they knew it, Valka was being carried off in the talons of the dragon, screaming Stoick's name. He softly replied, sadly giving up, and called her name once, clutching a screaming child in his arms.

~.~.~

Hiccup grew up with many expectations on his shoulders. To be a ruthless, intimdating beast of a man, to be able to create a devastating fire with a flick of a bored finger, like his father. He was instantly put into a fire training class, as his father expected him to be so. His mother was an earth, but Stoick was confident that he'd be able to summon and control might flames that could rival- no, that could usurp that of even the mightiest of dragons, or even a legendary night fury! Of course, Stoick wasn't entirely sure the night fury was real, though, as no one saw it, save for a tower suddenly destroyed by a purple explosion, or a house suddenly wiped off the map. Everytime they got close, maybe cornered what they thought was it, it would seemingly disappear.

But, no matter how many classes he took, no matter how many nights he stayed up, trying and trying to summon even a kindling, there never was. Stoick could recall that sometimes, when he was angry and Hiccup was, too, something might fall over, or a door might suddenly slam shut or violently open, or maybe the trees around them would shake out of the blue. He didn't pay much mind to this, though, but he supposed that it could be a sign of Hiccup being an earthbender?

After many failed attempts, Stoick pretty much gave up altogether. Hiccup should have already summoned fire by now, and any other element for that matter; so why couldn't he? Or the real question:

Why didn't he?

~.~.~

Hiccup could only watch as his former friends (albiet, only Fishlegs and Astrid used to be his friends) came to leave him as they got their powers. Astrid was a waterbender, and Fishlegs was an earth. Ruffnut was water, and Tuffnut was fire (very fitting, as one often stopped the other), and Snotlout was fire.

But, what was Hiccup, then? It didn't take long for the other children to swoop on him and start picking on him, and then attacking him, and it didn't take long after that for some of the adults to as well.

'Why?' That was what he asked himself everyday. Why him? Why did he, after centuries of everyone having powers, not have them? He had thought that he was just a little late to get them, as well as everyone and his especially confident father had thought. But, when he turned 14 and was still without an element, Stoick simply gave up. Or at least, that was what the village thought. Deep down inside, he'd never give up on Hiccup, but that was hidden. He was a viking, after all.

When he turned 14, Stoick offered him as an apprentice, an assistant of sorts to his best friend and the village's greatest and only professional blacksmith- Gobber. He gladly took up the offer, having always been a friend to Hiccup. Over the years, Hiccup grew skilled in the craft, and ran the shop on his own when Gobber left to fight, or when he was sick, or on a trip. Of course, his former friends would drop off their own weapons and most wouldn't hesitate to snatch up the opportunity to tease him in the process, Snotlout in particular. He usually brought in more weapons than he really needed, just to use that time to pick on his now uncaring cousin. Hiccup didn't mind the insults anymore, but rather the times when he'd scare him with a sudden burst of fire, or maybe make a small spark on the back of his vest when Hiccup got near the forge, and blame it on so in front of any adult who questioned him. Snotlout envied him, knowing that one day he'd be chief.

When Hiccup turned 16, the fighting was as same as always. Gobber would always leave, and Hiccup would always plead with him to go be able to fight. Gobber would playfully tease him before swinging over the counter, his amputated arm flashing a built in sword, or pat his messy brown hair and push open the small door flap that was a break in the counters. Hiccup would sigh before continuing his unfinished work. Often distracted by the squeals of the dragons he longed to capture, or the splashing and sizzling of water against a monstrous nightmare that had covered itself in flames.

It was one faithful night when Hiccup opened the door to his house, only to find that it was being scorched. He quickly pulled himself backwards, the door along with him. He wasn't able to tell whether it was a dragon or a human, but nor did he care, as he heard the sizzling and cracking of his door stop. He sped out of the door, nearly forgetting to close it, and dangerously leaping down the jutting planks that made the path to his house, weapons in a small bag tied to his back. It seemed like any other day as he arrived at Gobber's workshop.

"Took ya long enough," Gobber hollered over a scraping sound, not even bothering to look up from the sword he was sharpening.

"Yeah, well, it's not everyday the dragons see such a muscular, intimidating guy. I'm sure they'd all want to eat...this," Hiccup replied, sarcasm dripping from his words as he laid down the back and spread the weapons out on the counter.

"Well, 'ey'd use ya as a toothpick, that's for sure," Gobber spoke, focused on his work. "I assume ya finished those weapons?"

"Oh, the reinforced ones?" Hiccup asked, still spreading them out. Gobber had let him work on some weapons overnight because recently, weapons had been breaking or burning due to the power coming from the humans. This time, they should have been fire resistant and even stronger; no water was going to rust or break the head off of these! They had to cool overnight, and there was not enough space in the smithing area, so he allowed Hiccup to take them home.

"There they are, Gobber," he stared at his handiwork. He had added a few runes for flare, and a couple symbols of dragons and such. "Hopefully they'll all find their respective owners.." He said loudly, having spotted a young child named Gustav creeping up. The child stopped before scooting away and then breaking into a sloppy run. He smiled.

The sound produced from Gobber sharpening the sword came to a stop as he tossed the lethal blade into a crate of dangerous looking weapons.

"'Right, Hiccup, watch the shop for me, will ya?" It wasn't really a question, but more of a command as he pushed the door open with his pegleg, hobbling off and yelling.

Hiccup was still watching him set off curiously as a slippery axe was shoved into his hands. He looked up, yet he already knew he it was. It was Astrid. He could tell she wanted it sharpened, as well, and as he carefully heightened the axe's kill rate, he thought for a moment. Astrid was the only one who wouldn't necessarily pick on him, other than Fishlegs. But just the looks and the silence was enough to tell him that she didn't really like him. Knowing her, he had already assumed it was out of respect. Not respect for him, but because he was the chief's son. Maybe she considered it below her to do such things. What he did know was that Astrid's axe was always the sharpest and most durable of the one's he sharped. It was a good axe, and a good axe deserved to be treated as such, right? He had never thought about it before, but now he realized there could have been another reason.

When her axe was finished, he set it on the counter next to a bored looking warrior who was messing with a ball of water in her hand, tossing it in a circle as it didn't splatter the moment it touched her palm. It could have been because it never did, but she snatched her axe and calmly strode off, her weapon dangerously flashing. He could practically imagine it dripping with blood and the look on her face as it did so. Satisfaction.

Oh, how Hiccup longed to go out and fight like the others. As he thought about this, while weapons were sharpened and made and repaired, he wished that he could use elements and wasn't so 'helpless'. Other humans with normal lives fought dragons with no powers, and guess what? They survived? So then, why couldn't Hiccup? Well, he wasn't the _best_ fighter, but without their powers, he bet that the others wouldn't be so great! Maybe he'd even be the strongest, since all he did use was weapons?

Once business calmed down a bit, he ran out, seeing his chance. Water droplets clung to his vest before sinking into the fur, and dust from earth being pulled from the ground gave his jacket a muddy appearance. It didn't help when it dried, thanks to fire benders 'mistaking him for a wooden post'.

He was running, only armed with a feeble dagger, when he nearly crashed into Snotlout, who, at the moment, was burning a house that apparently had a dragon captured inside. He was yelling about it being a night fury, so if it escaped you couldn't see it, but Hiccup had a feeling it was a couple of terrors or maybe a nadder if he was extra lucky.

Snoutlout groaned. "You again, useless? Whaddaya want?" Snoutlout sneered for a moment, obviously having thought of something. "Did you come to stare the night fury into nonexistence? Or, rather," Snotlout grabbed Hiccup's vest, yanking it a couple of times before his dagger fell out. Hiccup yelped, the flames lapping at his dagger as Snotlout used them to grab the dagger and bring it to him, rather than taking literally 2 seconds to bend down and pick it up, "are you going to use your knife that can't even cut a baby's meal?" Snotlout asked, making a baby face and puffing his lips out. Hiccup had the urge to punch him, as he always did, but thought better of it. He couldn't help a small smile, though, as the flames died out when Snotlout lost focus. Snotlout stopped staring at him, turned his head to the house, and his jaw fell. "How..how dare you?" he screamed, his voice reaching what Hiccup thought was a new high. The moment before Hiccup wiped the smile off of his face, Snotlout saw it. Anger was definetly prexsent as a fire began to live on his fists. A wagon flew out of seemingly nowhere, nearly crushing them, but a jagged piece of rock and dirt jutted out of the earth and caught it, crushing the wagon. He didn't have to look to know it was Fishlegs, and where Fishlegs was, the twins and Astrid were.

Hiccup didn't see the dragons that left the house, but he could guess they weren't night furies. When all the dragons left, and it seemed the fight was over, vikings crowded around to see what was happening. Snotlout stared down at Hiccup, who he had dropped, and Hiccup simply sat, propping himself up with his hands behind his back.

It didn't take long for Stoick to show up, pushing vikings out of the way to see.

"What's going on 'ere?" He spoke slowly, much louder than needed. He made his way over to Snotlout, and saw the home. "What happened to the house o'er there?"

"Well, cheif," Snotlout started, clearly sucking up to Stoick, "I was minding my own business, walking past, when I sa-"

"The version that doesn't take hours, boy!" Snotlout growled before continuing.

"There were dragons in that house, and I was burning it to capture them, and I almost had done it before Hic-"

"What kind of dragons?" Stoick interrupted again, quieter and calmer.

"Er..night furies, sir."

Gasps flowed throughout the crowd. They'd take the word of Snotlout, for sure, he was an amazing young warrior, as strong as their own. Because that was what mattered. Of course, Astrid was skeptical, but she didn't say anything.

"Night furies, eh?"

"Yes. As I was saying, I was almost done, when Hiccup here showed up," He glanced down at Hiccup. "He interrupted, wanting to show me his dagger, and I, of course, not wanting to turn him down and hurt his pride, looked. But, when I looked back, the dragons were gone, and Hiccup..Hiccup was smiling, as if he had done it on purpose!" Again, gasps could be heard out of the crowd, and Stoick stared down at Hiccup.

"Really? Well then...get going, everyone. As for you, Hiccup...I'm very disappointed."

Hiccup's heart sank. With a sneer meant for only Hiccup's eyes, Snotlout walked off, the others following.

"But..but I didn't, you have to be-"

Stoick held a hand out to Hiccup. "I don't want to hear it." He growled, walking off as well. "There have been too many of these accidents recently. Maybe, if you tried harder, you could make an itsy bitsy flame!"

"But dad, maybe I'm not a firebender! I can jump high, higher than anyone else, and I'm fast so maybe I'm a ea-"

"No, Hiccup. That doesn't sound like an earthbender. What, can you magically move yourself ? Move the air around you? Last time I checked, that wasn't an element."

Fishlegs looked like he was dying to stay something, but thought better of it, following the others after he had stopped to stare a bit.

Hiccup frowned, left alone in the pile of steaming rubble, his heart in his stomach.

~.~.~

Hiccup angrily stormed off into the forest, breaking branches as he stomped. "Stupid Snotlout," he muttered. What was Snotlout's problem? Couldn't he just leave him alone for once? Hiccup couldn't shake off the feeling he was being watched. He always had that feeling, but it was especially strong in the woods and when he was alone. He whipped around, but saw nothing but his own footprints, plants, and darkness.

How did his dad know? According to everything, air was a part of the world, so it was an element! There were people who could bend metal, and summon lightning; why couldn't air be something he could do?

Hiccup knew that that was a far off hope, but it was all he had. He did jump high when he was afraid, and he did get really fast...but, didn't everyone? And, there were times when it would seem like a sudden breeze would shake the trees or the houses when he was mad, but wind was common.

He yelped when a branch smacked him in the face. He stopped to rub his aching eyes.

When he opened them again, he stopped once more to rub them, then froze.

A mass of jet black scales was lying on it's side, blood seeping from a missing tailfin.

 **Aaand that's the end of chapter one! I was so excited, it took me a day~**

 **Again, lemme know what you think! Feedback is the thing that keeps me going!**

 _ **Next time on No-Bender: What will Hiccup make of this dragon? Will he kill it, like he is expected to? Or, rather, befriend it? And, does he really bend nothing? What was Fishlegs thinking? And...what is watching him?**_

 _ **So many questions..such little time...find out in the next chapter of No-Bender!**_


	2. An Enemy Encounter

**And welcome back to another chapter of No-Bender Revamped! I'm your host, Zozilla!**

 **Anonymous Noob The 2nd: Definitely plan for Hicstrid! 'Tis the OTP, after all! I can't wait until I can get to the point I left off in the older one, as that's probably where it will come into play.**

 **We left off last chapter with a lot of unanswered questions! Now that Hiccup has left the village for tonight after being framed for letting a couple night furies loose, he's found something in the woods after thinking about being 'no-bender'! That something is a very suspicious looking bag of midnight scales, or in other words...**

A _night fury_. He had found a _night fury_. Just lying in the woods, minding it's own business, half dead. Could this be a gift from the gods? He nearly said a prayer and nearly thanked them, but just the sight of the mighty beast changed his mind. If he was lucky, it'd be already dead. Knowing his luck, though, he doubted it, and he wouldn't be surprised if it leaped up and bit his face off. Was it hungry enough to play dead?...If it was, he'd be doomed, running or not.

He didn't want to go anywhere to show anyone, in case it got him while he was running, or if it got away. Though...as he inspected it, he started to doubt it could even move.

What was he doing here? Running into the woods, finding a dragon that seemed hurt so badly it was helpless, let alone finding out that dragon was a _night fury_...

He'd cut out it's heart. That'd be the logical thing to do, right? It was unwise to drag an entire night fury, and if he got it's leg or tail, they couldn't really use it as a rug or something...if his village did that to dragons?

He took a single, silent step closer, thanking the gods mentally that he had decided to pick up the dagger. He realized his entire body was shaking on the second step closer. He tried his best to calm himself. He examined the dragon closely.

The tailfin facing him was completely gone. It had a long, three-claw scratch running along it's underbelly, and he shuddered to think what left it. From the amount of blood and the color of blood from each wound, he put this story together: The fury had been fighting something when it was hurt on it's stomach. Either it had fled or it won and flew off when the creature decided to give it one last wound, ripping it's tailfin apart and off. The fury had kept going, then finally on Berk it had crashed. That explained the absence of the creature, other than Snotlout's story, no one had seen it that night. Luckily, the stomach wound was bleeding less than it would have right away, hence the explanation that it was scratched sooner than it had lost it's tailfin.

Another step closer, and he was able to see it's eye was closed. He moved his head a bit, trying to examine any other features to tell whether it was dead or alive. When he saw it's chest was rising and falling, he drew a sharp breath, instantly regretting it as the dragon's eye flashed open. He nearly drew another, but thought better of it. He stared at the dragon again, now gripping his dagger with two shaking hands. The dragon simply stared at the human, fear and curiosity seeming to balance each other out as they swirled in it's eye. It laid it's head down once more, it's eye slowly closing.

Part of Hiccup cheered; he didn't have to kill it! The other part was filled with a feeling he'd never felt towards a dragon; worry? He took another step. Hiccup was surprised when he cursed himself for not having any bandages. Was he going to help this dragon..? No, he couldn't. The instant he was found out, they'd happily exile him... He readied himself for the splatter of blood that would come when he stabbed it's heart and put it out of it's misery.

Suddenly, his dagger clattered to the dry earth. He had dropped it, deciding that he would do nothing to the dragon.

He got a bit closer, hoping that because he had no weapon, the dragon might not be intimidated and maybe wouldn't attack him. He could see now that the dragon had embers coating the area where it had been scratched, and pondered for a moment, wondering if Snotlout actually had scratched it. He doubted it, though; there would have been a sound if the fury had slipped away. And, there weren't any wood chips or anything near it's cut. Hiccup nearly gasped as he realized the cut was burnt as well. Had a firebender done this? It made sense; they could have been scratching at the sky for whatever reason with a giant fire hand, and actually hit something, and then scratched again and got it's tail.

Or maybe, they had been trying to hit it?

The wind was knocked out of Hiccup when he tried to gasp and found he was pinned by the fury. No scream could come out of him if he tried. The eyes of the creature stared into his soul menacingly; he could feel the blood drip from it's wound onto him. It's pupils were nearly nonexistent as it let out a roar so loud that he barely saw the pupils before it's eyes closed. It's head moved back and forth, lifting it's paws up off of his chest before slamming them down again, harder. It ended the bellow with a snarl before galloping off, attempting flight before crashing into the cove and dragging itself into what looked like a cave. Hiccup leaned against a rock, panting. He couldn't believe that had just happened.

After lying there for what had felt like hours, he pushed himself up. He fumbled for his dagger, still gasping for air. He risked a peek over the ledge, seeing that the fury had apparently gone into the cave fully.

He knew he couldn't just let it die there. Something in him told Hiccup that it just wasn't right. So, home he went, changing his clothes and making a note to the blood before anyone would be able to notice and ask him about it. He went to bed, the events of the day never fully leaving his mind.

~.~.~

The start of the next day wasn't nearly as eventful as the last. Often times, citizens would have to help out in repairing homes and other things. It was supposedly a fair system, turns being taken, but Hiccup knew that if you had a lot of glory the previous night, you'd probably be skipped.

Hiccup, probably intentionally, had to help repair the house Snotlout had burnt. His job was bringing supplies like rope and shovels. It was fitting because, really, they all did have to admit he was pretty fast. Faster than most vikings were.

Once he had finished that, sweaty and out of breath, he headed over to the blacksmith's shop. The half door swung back and forth as it slowly lost momentum. Hiccup winced as it creaked loudly.

"Eh? Oh, Hiccup! Ye come to finish up 'ese weapons?" Gobber asked. A normal person would have gaped at the crates of weapons that was taller than Hiccup, even, but he didn't. Most vikings didn't want to spend time dropping of their weapons in the middle of a fight, so they would just drop them off the next day. It was usually packed in the evening because of this; everyone wanted their weapon back. Fights were inevitable when there were similar weapons, one sure that the other's was theirs.

Hiccup and Gobber got to work astoundingly fast. Most of the weapons didn't even need sharpening, so he'd just sharpen each side once. Some of them needed repairs; that was what took long. Plus, the fact that Hiccup was rushed every time his mind reminded him that the dragon was in a life or death situation helped a lot. If Gobber noticed he was acting strangely, and going faster than usual, he didn't say anything. Hiccup presumed Gobber thought it odd, though; usually, Hiccup took his time as he didn't want to venture out if not needed. It avoided contact with not-so-friendly certain 16-year-olds.

Hiccup finally finished around late midday. Luckily for him, it was no where near night yet, so he had lots of time for what he wanted to do. That meant helping the dragon.

Eventually, Hiccup had gathered a basket of fish, a couple rolls of bandages, and his more favored notebook and charcoal pencil. He had also brought an extra piece of charcoal and a dagger, because it's always better safe than sorry.

He had used his shirt, which had blood that refused to wash out on it, to get bandages. He had said that he had a wound and needed them, and when the inventory keeper was skeptical, he showed him his shirt. Hiccup then continued to take as many as the inventory keeper would allow, which was, again, a couple.

Hiccup had used the allowance that customers sometimes left as tips to buy a basket of fish, as it didn't cost much. Coin was rarely used in his village, mainly only used in small amounts so that they could buy what they wanted when merchants came in.

Before he had left the blacksmith, he had went into the extra room. It was more like Hiccup's room, as it was cluttered with his failed or unhelpful inventions. He had a couple prized inventions, though, but they weren't of any use to someone who was able to summon the elements. He wanted to sell them to the merchants when they came.

Once he was in, he grabbed his journal and charcoal, and headed out after double-checking he had everything.

Making his way to the forest, Hiccup's instincts told him that he should speed up, but not so fast that he would seem suspicious.

So, as he jogged towards the ominous yet beautiful woods, he came to a stop, internally groaning as he saw Snotlout and the others (Fishlegs, Astrid, the twins).

"Oh, how can I help you on this fine, fine day, Snotlout?" He said, rolling his eyes as he did so.

It look like it annoyed him, but Snotlout managed to keep the accursed smirk on his face. The face that implied he knew something Hiccup didn't. Or that implied he was smarter than Hiccup, or more clever, or he had just worked out a master plan.

"So, Hiccup, where do you think you're going? Storming off into the woods after your," the twins held back snickered, "fury fiasco?" Hiccup had absolutely no doubt in mind that the twins came up with that. He was a little surprised, though; did Astrid and Fishlegs believe it too?

"Or are you going to go sulk because you're," he transitioned to a baby-talk voice again, "sad?"

Hiccup growled and decided to just wait it out. Boy, was he tired of Snotlout.

Not to mention, the dragon could be dying now because Snotlout was in his way. Hiccup wanted to say that he didn't have time for it, but he figured that'd bring up a whole new whirlwind of questions.

After a couple more teasing remarks that Hiccup zoned out on, he heard an airy rushing sound as a flame ignited on Snotlout's fist.

"I said, were you planning to rat me out?" Snotlout stepped forward, Hiccup stepping back. A fiery ring formed around Hiccup, not too high so that he could get out, but he feared that Snotlout would command the flames to lick up at him when he tried.

"Rat him out on, uh, what exactly?" Tuffnut asked rhythmically.

Snotlout ignored him. "Let's see you weasel out of this one, useless," Snotlout taunted, his voice a low, menacing and quiet tone.

Slowly the flames started to close in. He would have jumped, but he was scared his satchel might be burnt. And, this way, he thought, Snotlout might leave his satchel alone.

Hiccup grew panicked as less than an inch of space was all he had around him. Suddenly, with no other ideas, he kicked at the flame, and surprisingly, the area where he had kicked it died out. Hiccup assumed Snotlout wasn't expecting that, so he focused more on closing in rather than the defense of the flame. After running past and behind him, Hiccup saluted, taunting Snotlout. He ran off, hopefully, as he couldn't hear a footstep except for his own.

~.~.~

Once he made it to the cove, he sighed, and laid down on his stomach, journal ready. He figured he'd just sketch it first, as going straight into the bandages was a bad idea. Luckily for him, it didn't take long before it dragged itself out to the lake nearby, sipping from it slowly. He could see that the tail was red and irritated, and he assumed the stomach wound was three-fold.

He hadn't considered why, he realized. Why was he doing this? Had the dragon possessed him? If not, what had? And if he wasn't possessed at all, why did he feel that he needed to help this creature? He supposed it was because of how pitiful a majestic beast that had been reduced to this because of his kin was, but was that _really_ the reason..?

Hiccup felt a nagging pain in his stomach, and adjusted, having laid himself on a rock. His senses spiked in fear as the pebble innocently clattered down, and the fury's eyes darted towards him.

 **Another cliff-hanger! As I said before, this story is definitely going to go faster in the beginning. I have big plans for this fic, though! Hope you enjoyed!**

 _ **Next time on No-Bender Revamped: The night fury has laid eyes on Hiccup. Will they become friends, or will they be enemies? Will Hiccup learn just how he extinguished that fire? And, will Hiccup be able to help the dragon before it's too late? Find out next chapter on No-Bender Revamped!**_


	3. Careful Healing

**'Tis I again, here to present a brand new chapter! And, some responses are due, I believe~~!**

 **Eris: Thanks! I definitely plan to continue this for a long while, and depending on how well I play out the plot line, I might write a sequel as well!**

 **Guest: Again, thank you! I really hope the elements will play out as well as I plan, as a large handful are going to be very important a little down the line. I'm glad you thought so!**

 **Also, sorry ahead of time for any errors! My computer was being a little weird today and wouldn't spell check.**

The creature stared up at the mossy cliff Hiccup laid upon, the piercing emeralds embedded in a sheet of glimmering midnight. The dragon's face wasn't one of anger or fear, though, moreover curiosity and surprise. Maybe it hadn't expected him to come back?

It was after he started to feel light headed that Hiccup realized he wasn't breathing. He gasped for air, luckily quietly, and dared to inch closer. The dragon still hadn't taken it's eyes off of him, and it seemed like it had slowly limped closer as well.

Hiccup curiously scribbled, starting slowly when the dragon narrowed it's eyes and decided to back up a little. Hiccup frowned as he realized the trail behind the dragon wasn't mud, but rather blood. And he nearly looked away as it dripped into the pond, causing a pink cloud to grow.

After the fury seemed to loose interest in him, he made his way down, cursing himself as pebbles tumbled the whole time he did so. How he managed to get himself into this problem was a mystery to him. Here he was, casually sliding down a cliff into a cove where a half-dead night fury was, the rarest dragon in the archipelago, and carrying bandages and food. What was he thinking? It could kill him in a second- less than that, even.

The second the grinding sound came from the side of the hill he was sliding down, it echoed over and over, and the fury's ears perked up just before it whipped around, teeth bared in fear. It was clearly being defensive, and as he thought about it, who wouldn't be?

He made it to the bottom, fear nearly rendering him unable to walk. Though Hiccup doubted it was necessary, and knew he'd probably regret it, he reached a trembling hand into his bag and pulled out the knife. When the dragon roared and reared in fear, he set it down gently, never turning his back.

Once the knife was set down, the dragon stared at it for a bit, clearly suspicious and worried. Hiccup kicked it a little, not enough to send it flying but enough so that it skidded off into the distance, spinning.

The dragon then turned it's attention to him, sniffing the air and growing closer. From it's stance, he could tell it was protective of it's wound. It legs were bent inward more than the normal dragon, and it's steps were quick, allowing less exposure time. Hiccup carefully set the basket tied on his back down, and as he did, a fish slipped out. It slid down before falling out of the basket and onto the ground with a splat.

The dragon sniffed the air again. Hiccup picked up the fish slowly and tossed it gently towards the dragon, just enough so that it'd have to get a little closer first. The dragon did the same as he had done before, slowly getting closer and never letting glancing at anything else, even if for a second, sniffing the fish all the while.

Eventually, so suddenly Hiccup nearly jumped, it swallowed the fish. It got closer to Hiccup, not bothering to slow down this time, it's head turning every which way as it questioned him. It curiously advanced and Hiccup took a couple steps back, before realizing the dragon was after the fish. He kicked the basket over quickly, the fish spilling out. With a sigh of relief from the boy, the dragon eyed him and the fish, switching back and forth for a time, before digging into the basket. It looked like it hadn't eaten in days, which Hiccup knew was true. Or, at least a couple days. The dragon couldn't have been lying there for too long, but the wounds looked older. They were still bleeding profusely by the time Hiccup found the creature, but for all he knew, it could have been lying there for many days and nights before. Of course, it was unlikely, as it would have died from dehydration, or maybe even starvation, or most likely; it would have been found. But, when he thought about it, there hadn't been a report of a night fury for at least three days before.

He turned his attention to the dragon's present. As he stared at it, he remembered that he had gotten multiple rolls of bandages. And it was then that he really realized how crazy his plan was. How in the world was a viking, a life long enemy of a dragon, supposed to communicate with body language that it wanted to help the most dangerous dragon known to his kind? As he looked into it's eyes, the night fury stopped for a moment, returning the gaze. It continued eating again.

Call him crazy, but Hiccup felt like in that short moment, he had said everything with a look. He hadn't meant to, but he wondered if now the dragon might let him help..?

He took his bandages out cautiously and loudly, hoping that it would allow the fury to understand he meant no harm in what he was doing. When it's eyes snapped up and then returned again, he moved. Ever so slowly, he made his way to the fury's side.

In honesty, Hiccup was extremely surprised the dragon had put so much trust in him so fast. Sure, they weren't exactly best friends, but for the night fury to trust him enough for Hiccup to be able to get near it's stomach, no, it's wounded stomach? It made one wonder if the two had met before.

He slowly extended the outstretched bandage, his heart pounding so fast he considered for a moment that it might break a rib or two. Though, when it didn't, he continued his precarious procedure, and the dragon still didn't look up. When he touched the dragon's scaly side to the bandage, it flinched, but it didn't pull away entirely or snap at him or bite his head off, which was good.

He looked at the dragon's wound for a moment. He was grateful; it seemed like it was already wet with water. Had the dragon gone swimming? He seriously doubted it, but at least the wound was washed.

Hiccup decided he'd continue with a plan. So, after putting one together, he tested it out. The loose end of the bandage was draped over the dragon's back, and the entirety of the roll tossed underneath. He continued to toss the bandage roll over once at the other side, then roll it under, and went on with the process for what felt like eternity. He knew he'd need many layers, as he didn't want to change them too often.

What was really surprising was the dragon's behavior. The whole time, it hadn't moved from the spot. Sure, sometimes it'd move it's head a little deeper into the basket, or start picking at the dirt with it's claw, but it didn't leave. And, not to mention the fact that the dragon was now suddenly friendly with him. Even when Hiccup tightened the bandage, the dragon acted like it trusted the human with it's life. For all the dragon knew, Hiccup could just as soon snap it's neck as he could finish the bandaging. Or, did it know more? He certainly would have known if he had met a night fury, and had been friendly with it.

Maybe he had met this dragon before? After all, it's presence gave off a familiar feeling. He couldn't tell where from, but he felt like he had sensed it before. Perhaps he had been nearly preyed on once?

Or perhaps that dragon had been the one who had made him think that he was going crazy when he felt like someone was watching him..? Just the thought of him unknowingly being stalked by a night fury was enough to make him shudder.

He cursed himself, realizing he didn't have the knife to cut the bandage at the end. Hiccup looked around for it, ready to run over, grab it, and come back as soon as possible to avoid the wound unraveling, but then simply looked down, and saw the knife was at his feet. Panic flared inside of him. How had it gotten there? Surely he had kicked it away? And, even if the dragon had retrieved it for him, how had the creature managed to get it from at least ten feet away without taking it's feet out of the position it was in?

Hiccup sighed, bending to pick up the tool. Yet another thing to ponder in depth another time. He dusted it off, nearly drawing blood, and slowly reached the knife towards the designated bandage. He didn't want to cut it too short, but it was just as bad too long. He quickly jabbed the knife forward with minimal effort, a quiet ripping sound filling his ears. He tucked in the uneven bandage.

"There," he said, stepping back and admiring his handiwork. He glanced towards the sky instinctively, noticing less than an hour had passed.

There was something about the dragon that was so...irregular. It seemed at peace and calm, even after all of the fright it had caused him. Hiccup's senses were brought back to him as he realized the peaceful and calm attitude of the dragon was rubbing off on him.

The dragon's curious orbs looked up at him, such a stunning green that it seemed like the scales around them glowed as well. Hiccup knew well enough that in any instant it felt like it, it would be able to attack him. Killing him could be even easier. Perhaps it had just wanted to be bandaged, and had planned to make an early dinner, late lunch out of Hiccup?

Carefully, he backed up, the dragon's eyes never leaving him. The dragon adjusted it's position, it's entire body now facing Hiccup. All it would take was a small little push in it's hind legs, a lift of it's front...

He continued backing up, slowly pushing himself up the side of the cliff. He glanced back at it, slowly turning to climb. He started climbing, though it was difficult due to the position of his head. He slowly turned his attention to the rather steep climb in front of him, but not before glancing back nervously a couple of times.

~.~.~

It was well past dark when Hiccup realized he had forgotten about the dragon's tail entirely. He was working in the shop at that time, and nearly ruined a perfectly good sword he was reinforcing. He decided he'd just have to do something about it a little later.

He figured that, at the moment, it was a good idea to think about how he'd approach this. Making a new tailfin entirely would be a challenge, the rigging especially. Not to mention he'd probably have to wait weeks to test it, and he might not even have the chance then. Whether the reason be he had been exiled, the dragon had left, or it had been killed, he would have to go by his gut feeling and hope his measurements were close.

But, it might be possible for him to rig it in a different way? It was a hopeful plan, but he might be able to pull off what was forming in his brain.

As Hiccup dipped the sword into the water, the steam warmed his face, and he smiled thoughtfully, amused by how normal and natural it felt to do such treacherous things.

 **And the third chapter has come to a nice close! Again, I hope you all enjoyed reading as much as I did writing!**

 **Next chapter: Hiccup has finally come to 'tame' the dragon. With his next encounter, will he befriend the fury altogether, or will it flee in fear? Will the cove be the last thing he sees? Or, will he be able to pull off his plan, and will they be able to become allies? Find out next time, on No-Bender Revamped!**


	4. Odd Dreams

**Welcome back, again, to another round of No-Bender Revamped!**

 **Anonymous Noob the Second: Thanks! I've been working really hard to get these out steadily in hopes that doing so will keep me interested, and it's working so far! Also, neither can I~**

 **Eris: Thanks!**

 **Last chapter, we saw how the night fury had suddenly trusted Hiccup with his life. Hiccup bandaged the wounded creature around it's stomach, but will the tailfin heal? Hiccup's been thinking of a plan to help the dragon fly again!**

 **Again, still need to fix the spelling problem, don't pay any mind to errors.**

Hiccup had awoken the next day rather fearfully. His dream had been very odd; odd in a sense of unusual, referring to his common dreams. Most of his dreams were nonsensical and nearly uninterruptible. In one, he was killed by the night fury, which, in his dream, was red. Of course, that had been a more recent dream. Another he had been killed by Snotlout, who had switched voices and hair with Astrid. Not to mention that they, as in the whole of Berk, had switched places with the gods of Asgard. Yet, he was a mere mortal, and a lowly one at that.

Hiccup, if he could remember the dream itself, would always attempt to dissect it. It was rare that there wasn't a hidden meaning behind it, the story usually originating from his thoughts or perspective or feelings on a topic or event.

But..this time was different. Last night, he had dreamed that he was someone else. He had no idea who they were, yet they seemed oddly familiar, and, even in waking hours, he felt connected to them.

This person was a woman, and an extremely powerful one. One thing Hiccup had found particularly odd was how he could feel the power coursing through his veins as she did as well. He could feel how she easily she let out a small fraction of her power, and how a rock shard roughly the size of a town square sliced through the earth, piercing the landscape. What she was fighting, he did not know. Where she was, he did not know.

If he was awake, he probably would have gasped in surprise as a spark of fire appeared in her cupped hand, fading a couple of times before a roaring abyss suddenly engulfed most of her arm. It sped onto the earth, wrapping itself around the shard of rock as a vine would.

A drop of water came out of the earth, pooling and quivering on the dry dirt. Many more came after, and they made another vine like wrapping around the rock, amazingly overlapping with the fire. He could see the fire _inside_ the water, and, feeling her emotions, was much less than surprised. There must have been an air bubble around the fire, and he realized it was the case, but he already knew.

As if it had heard him thinking of it, a whirlwind enveloped the rock, air swirling at unimaginable speeds.

It was when the woman had started hovering on her own, her hands crackling with surges of power, that he had woken up. It wasn't that he had gasped awake, propping himself up. No, he had woken up like any other day, slowly opening his eyes and realizing where he was and who he was.

Hiccup had instantly wondered what it had meant. He tried, and hard, to think if he had done anything the previous day that might link to the dream. The woman didn't seem like she was a healer. The closest thing he could think of was when he had sketched out the plans for a tailfin. But, it was only because the woman had made that thing, the harmonious yet amalgamated symphony of elements. Maybe it was Hiccup's wishes to have an element? But, that didn't explain why she had all three...and why it felt so real. It didn't explain why she was making it, or where she is.

And it didn't explain how she could bend wind. Or air? Or, was it even that? He couldn't tell.

Hiccup decided that, after his chores, he'd try to find something about it. Luckily for him, they did have a 'library', though you could hardly call it such. It was an abandoned hut that had two, maybe three shelves of books. And, not to mention, most of them regarded dragons. The best and cleanest way to behead a dragon, how to capture a dragon, dragon-proofing your home, easiest ways to cook dragon meat...things like that. Hiccup wasn't particularly interested in them before, but they made him sick now. Over the course of two days, he had learned they weren't the bloodthirsty, vicious beasts everyone had thought. Though, given the chance, him a couple days ago would have probably killed it.

Or would he have?

.~.~.

Hiccup decided that the fury could wait, just for a moment. It would only take around half an hour at most, and he knew he needed to use it wisely. After all, the dragon had been bandaged now, and he was sure there were plenty of fish in the pond; it could probably eat and hunt for itself.

He pushed the door open, entering the run down and very rarely inhabited building. It's spruce-log walls eerily creaked as the floorboards did. A hole in the roof let him see the dust particles drifting through the sunbeam.

Hiccup wondered how long it had been since anyone had sorted the books. No, since anyone had taken one. He had no doubt in mind Fishlegs was a frequent guest. Nor did he doubt Fishlegs often organized the books.

Speak of the devil, as Fishlegs strode in moments after Hiccup.

Fishlegs looked towards the boy, offering a smile. "Oh! Hiccup! You've come to read as well?" Without even bothering to let Hiccup speak, nor checking to see if Hiccup nodded, or made any sign of recognition at all.

"Great, I've been looking for some books myself! I'm trying to find one about the Berserkers. Their habits in particular intrigued me last they vistied, and I really want to learn more. Dagur the Deranged seems really..erm..scary..but I'm sure there are reasons behind his actions! Oh, and don't get me started on Alvin the Treacherous. He has a very interesting past with your father, Hiccup! I wonder why they were so close? Oh, and..."

Hiccup tuned out of Fishlegs' chattering. Normally, he'd listen closely, but right now he didn't have the time nor energy to spare. Every other pause, Hiccup answered with a "Mhm," or a "Of course,".

A certain phrase Fishlegs spoke of tuned Hiccup back in. "...and I've also been looking for books about the elements."

Hiccup turned attentively to Fishlegs, hoping he hadn't missed anything else he'd mentioned about the elements.

"Well, have you found anything on them? The elements, I mean?"

Fishlegs looked surprised at the sudden response. "Oh, yes! I've found one book," he said, rummaging in the bag that he kept at his side. "Here!"

Hiccup took the book from him, instantly reading the golden and embossed title, 'The Elements Of Power'. Hiccup wondered what it could mean, but for the time being, he thanked Fishlegs and promised to return it later. He also asked Fishlegs that if he found another book similar, he'd tell Hiccup.

Hiccup decided that he'd rather not stick around, as he didn't know where Snotlout was, and that was anything but good. So, he pushed the creaky door open a little while after Fishlegs, and he was off.

~.~.~

While on his way to the forest, many things were on his mind. By this time, he had practically given up trying to understand that dragon. He figured it was no use until he had learned more about it, and he figured he'd just follow his gut instinct when it came to helping the dragon. After all, it had never failed him before, had it? He stopped mid-thought, vivid colors catching his eye. He looked up. A red banner with two gold lines tracing the edge and a golden symbol that was extremely familiar hung, glittering in the wind. Looking further, he saw many more. The entire town had been decorated with them. He knew what they were, of course. They were advertising for the Elemental Festival.

The Elemental Festival, or the Festival for short, was a celebration of sorts with many events related to benders and their abilities. Sure, there were booths set up to test the strengths and the attributes of different materials benders produced, but the main event attracted many times more than the booths did. Every year, a huge arena was set up somewhere on the island. It had to be in a different place every time, and never in town, as everything was destroyed in the area, including the arena. It would be a huge championship; anyone who wanted to participate was put into the brackets. Stoick never participated, and neither did Gobber. Stoick had to supervise, much to his disappointment, and Gobber didn't want his friend to be alone in boredom. Either that, or the amount of missing limbs had finally sunk in in the past decade or so.

Benders of all kinds participated. Usually, it was all adults, as you had to be at least 16 years old to enter. It was very un-viking like of them to do that, but things had happened in the past and gave them reason to have an age requirement. Nearly everyone participated. Hiccup hadn't even considered joining, and he doubted he would. After all, what would someone with no element do in a bender-themed festival?

And, the symbol..now he realized. They had used the same one every year, but he thought, and it was in his dream. That was why the thing that woman had made seemed familiar. Was that a message? He wasn't going to participate. Surely he wasn't meant to? He'd be crushed instantly.

He thought about his father for a moment. He hadn't seen nor spoke with him since the night of the incident, when he had yelled at Hiccup. Maybe he'd try to talk to him, just to see if he was still mad?

Hiccup sighed, walking into the break where village met forest.

~.~.~

The dragon had been waiting for him, he found. He didn't doubt it could smell the fish he had nearly left outside the library; he doubted it would be a good idea to take them in and pollute the place with the smell. Neither was it a good idea to leave them outside, but it was all he had.

The dragon's head had instantly perked up when the human had come into sight. It had been curled up, sleeping near the lake.

Hiccup slid down, fear spiking before dying down as the dragon crept forward to knock over his basket. It flew off his back, onto the ground, and the dragon ate.

The fury's ears perked up when it heard the human's voice, but it kept eating. "You need a name, don't you?" Hiccup looked to the dragon, sitting cross-legged on a rock.

"Hmm..what's a good name for a dragon?" He thought. No one had ever named a dragon before. Well, at least not without intending for it to be unpleasant. They had named a certain nightmare 'Death', after it had killed nearly a dozen of them.

Of course, until Stoick had lopped off it's head.

He doubted 'Death' was a good name for the creature. After all, the creature was kind-hearted, he could tell. This wasn't a mindless monster.

He'd continue later. He flipped open the book, sounds of crunching and squishing echoing throughout the cove's walls. It sounded like maybe the dragon really had been unable to get fish.

After speeding through the table of contents and finding a section he hoped might have a passage on what he wanted, he closed the book, putting his finger where it would be close to the page he needed. He opened it up again, flipped a couple pages backwards, and then started reading the passage.

He nearly gasped. Just the first three words had surprised him. The title?

'The Four Elements'.

 **Another chapter done! The story is really starting to pick up, don't you think? As always, hoped you enjoyed!**

 **Next time: Hiccup has learned that there are four elements. Will the fourth be air, like he suspected? Not to mention, the Festival has piqued his interest, regarding his dreams. Seems like the dragon knows more than he does, at this point! And, Hiccup and Stoick will finally speak again...what will happen? Find out next chapter on No-Bender Revamped!**


	5. Discoveries Made

**Welcome back! Sorry for the week's wait, I got a little busy and tied up. This chapter is extra long, though, so I hope you like it!**

 **Guest: Aww, thanks! That's one of the best compliments I've gotten on this, I'm glad you like it so much!**

 **Eris: Thanks again! Hope you enjoy this one as much as you did the last, I got excited writing it myself.**

 **thatjustprime: I answered your review down below, this chapter pretty much wraps it up and would contain spoilers.**

 **Last chapter, our hero saw the banners for the festival. A celebration were brackets are made for those who want to fight! After putting that aside, Hiccup learned that there are, in truth, 4 elements. Now, how will he take in this knowledge?**

 **As for spelling, same goes for this chapter. I need to fix that sometime..**

Hiccup at first thought it was a spelling error. You know, when read something so fast that you misread it, and then go back again and say 'Ah, I see, it's actually this word!'. But, when he read it again, he couldn't believe his eyes. It said 'The Four Elements'. Four. Was air really an element? When he thought about it, it was an essential part of this world. Fire and water were opposites, but what would take earth down, and what could earth be best at taking down? It made sense.

He read further, and his hypothesis had been confirmed. He wondered if this was what Fishlegs was thinking, but he ignored the thought, knowing there were much more important matters at hand. If this was an element that one could bend, that meant...

That meant he had an element.

That meant..he wouldn't be the town outcast anymore!

But..what about the dragon? He couldn't just leave it there when he became accepted as the only one who could bend air and the skies. He'd have to take care of him, and help him, and when they found out..

Of course, assuming it was a bendable element in the first place. Hiccup could remember the vivid feelings of his dream. How the pressure from the output of the elements had nearly no effect. He could remember the feeling of the power flowing from his hand.

He could remember the clicking feeling that would have sent a shiver down his spine in the waking world he got when the power was released.

Hiccup stood up, still feeling dizzy and top-heavy. Probably from all the information he had taken in.

"Okay..let's see here.." Hiccup glanced back at the dragon before turning to face the wall that was previously behind him. The fury had glanced up at him as well, curiously, but had returned it's attention back to the basket of fish. He saw a cod sliding out, and what resembled a salmon's tail peeking out of it's maw, but he quickly discarded the knowledge. He had better things to think about at the moment...

His attention focused on his outstretched hand and the wall in front of him. He inhaled deeply.

Hiccup could still remember how it had felt when the woman had used her power to create and bend all the elements. He could remember the clicking feeling as they slowly became hers to control, and how it had been so easy to turn the spark into a roaring inferno. He doubted that'd be useful just yet, as even if he did actually bend, he wouldn't be that powerful so soon.

It wasn't that he didn't know how to bend. He had been told many times how it had felt. Everyone tried to explain to him how it had felt, how it was super easy when you actually did it. But, it hadn't worked for him. No matter how hard he tried, nothing happened.

Or, if he was wording it in the present..nothing _visible_ had happened. Of course, he was hoping that he could bend air. That'd be pretty awesome, as he could use it in so many ways. But, it could be bad as well. Now that he thought about it, they might not accept it, or they might exile him in fear..who knew?

He exhaled. He went over how it had felt in his mind once more, and his hand turned upwards, his palm facing the sky. He blinked, a long and slow blink, and opened his eyes.

It was a weird feeling. It was as if you were leaning in the direction of the place you wanted to emit power from. But, it had only felt that way, and Hiccup had no idea if you actually leaned. There was also a feeling of pressure. Like when your circulation is cut off in an area, and when you can feel something itching under your skin as your blood is gathered in the tip of a finger, or the edge of an elbow. And, it had also felt as if there were a barrier that he had crossed in his dream. It was hard to explain in words, but it was almost as if there were a wall, and when the power flowed, the wall had gone down. Then, when the power stopped, it had gone right back up, blocking all the remaining power. Almost like a tap with water, he thought.

So, with one last breath, he tried to reenact that feeling. He stared as he imagined a wall coming down inside of his hand. It was odd to think like that, but he could care less at the moment. He stared intently at his hand, waiting for something to happened as he repeated the action she had done.

He flinched as his hand was pushed downwards some. He could have sworn he'd felt a sudden burst of air, but that could have been his desires. He stared in shock, working out everything in his mind. If he was someone who could bend air, then wouldn't that be the reason his hand had been pushed back? That seemed like the only explanation; he didn't recall trying to lower his hand. He guessed that if he hadn't been so unsure, he'd probably be overwhelmed with glee at this point. He tried his best to keep calm, and inhaled and exhaled once more. He turned his hand towards the rock this time, and focused, his eyes narrowing. He channeled all of his energy into his extended palm, and tried once more.

This time, the reaction was instant. He was thrown backwards with such force that he lost his balance. He flew for a good three or four feet before he hit the ground. The air was knocked out of him, from both shock and surprise and excitement. He looked up, and saw that there was a dent in the rock. The grass and greenery around the area was being pushed back, and after another second or two, they returned to their normal positions.

Hiccup's jaw hung open absentmindedly. He was an airbender. He had had an element all along. He could bend! He wasn't a 'no-bender' anymore, he wasn't useless. His mouth slowly curved upwards and his eyes widened. His dad wouldn't hate him so much. The villagers wouldn't be so rude, and Snotlout wouldn't pick on him anymore. Actually, he doubted the latter was guaranteed. But, he didn't want to think about anything negative right now! He pushed himself up, feeling light-headed. His lungs felt tiny, but he didn't care. He looked at the dragon, half expecting it to get up and dance with him. It simply stared, it eyes even wider than he had thought possible. Hiccup started to back up as the dragon turned towards him. It slowly picked itself up, it's full height on all fours. It got closer, curiously speeding up.

"Um..err..did I do something wrong..?" Hiccup backed up, panicking as his back hit the rocky wall. The indent was so deep he could feel it with his back, and that created a spark of pride that quickly was extinguished with another wave of fear. The dragon had stopped, and Hiccup was sitting at this point, his feet still pushing him against the wall. The dragon stopped just a couple inches or so short of his boot, and stared at him. It sat on it's hind legs, towering over the viking. The only thing he could see in it's eyes was curiosity and surprise, but then again, he wasn't exactly an expert on reading dragons.

It slowly let it's head down, face to face with Hiccup. They froze like that for a moment, and Hiccup could have sworn he saw his life flash before his eyes. It wasn't really interesting, honestly, but it would be much more than that to an outsider, he supposed. Because, as far as he knew, Berk was the only place there were benders.

The dragon stared at him for a second more before snorting. He thought he saw a film of pride flash in it's eyes. He jumped slightly as the dragon started making an eerily familiar sound in it's throat, pulling it's head back with each sound. He realized it was regurgitating too late, as a slimy, half eaten fish slipped into his lap. He gagged at the sight and smell combined, looking up at the dragon. It stared, looking at him patiently. It obviously wanted him to do something, but he wasn't sure what. He thought a quick prayer, hoping he wasn't going to die because of a fish, and picked it up. He stared at it, and looked back at the dragon. It stared at him, slightly pushing it's head forward, motioning for him to do something. He didn't want him to eat it, did he?

Their eyes met once more, and Hiccup understood. For some reason, he got the message. He put the fish into one hand, and put the other above it. He concentrated all of his power once more, and he thought he saw an orange spark. Call it a trick of the light, but there might have been a spark. The dragon's eyes widened, and Hiccup could see what looked like glee on it's face. Maybe it had seen it too? So.. was he a firebender? Or an airbender..? Before he had a chance to think, his face was suddenly turning towards the ground, and it was getting alarmingly farther. The dragon had grabbed him by the back of his vest, and had leaped into the other half of the cove. It quickly put him down, paying no mind to him as he leaned over, finding the sudden urge to puke over-whelming. He didn't though, and stared at the dragon once more. It seemed like it had forgotten him. It had bounded off, seemingly the exact opposite of a night fury's behavior. As it came back, he saw it had something in it's mouth. It was long, and one side of it was dragging on the ground, the dragon's head at an angle to support the tool. Hiccup realized that it was a log, a fallen tree that looked very young. He couldn't understand what the dragon was doing, but he stared at it. The dragon had teeth? Clearly it did, it was a dragon after all. But, he had forgotten about that just a moment ago. Before, when it had cornered him and gave him the fish, it didn't have teeth. What was going on?

Hiccup watched as the dragon started to drag the log. When it stopped for a moment, Hiccup gasped. It had made a perfect circle. Was that on purpose?

It started again, mimicking the action but making the circle inside of the other, a lot smaller. Over the span of about 5 minutes, the dragon had made a ring with oddly familiar symbols overlapping one another inside of it. Some of the symbols' edges had gotten out of the ring, but the dragon didn't seem to care. It was odd; every curve and line was perfect, and every recognizable shape was, too. Hiccup felt a spike of fear as he realized the symbols were the elements. He remembered them from everyday life, but he was able to recognize the air because of the book he had just read.

If it were a normal day, Hiccup probably would have ran. It looked like witchcraft. A dragon, a night fury, was making a spiritual ring that it clearly wanted him present for. Was it going to sacrifice him?

Even if he wanted to run away, he doubted he could. The night fury and the fact that he could barely move (he was still in shock) added up, and persuaded him that it'd be a better idea to sit tight.

Hiccup could only stare. After another half an hour or so, the dragon had switched to a much smaller piece of wood, about the size of a viking's sword. It was making smaller symbols along the rim of the ring. Hiccup decided it'd probably be best if he left. He could see that the sky was turning a pink color, and he didn't want to stay too long. He could only imagine what would happen.

He pushed himself off the ground, and when the dragon didn't react, he sidled away. The adrenaline of the fact that he could bend hit him, and he sped up a little.

~.~.~

Hiccup had nearly danced all the way into the village. He had considered going back once he realized that he left the book, but he thought better of it. He'd probably be kept there this time by the fury, and he doubted anything bad would happen to it. The dragon wouldn't eat it or anything weird like that, he hoped. On the way back, he had tried bending a couple more times. Each time it had worked, and he tried one time to blast his face. It was a light one, though, and he could feel it. That confirmed it; he was an air bender!

He arrived at his home with many odd glances from onlookers. Luckily for him, it was too early for the dragons to attack, so he had an easy trip home. But, unluckily for him, as he opened the door and started up the stairs, his father came from the center room.

"Hiccup," he boomed.

"Dad, hey..!" Hiccup replied, whipping around nervously. Had his father seen him?

"Hiccup, I think it's time we talked about..the festival." Hiccup let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. He had thought that maybe his father was going to talk of the dragon, but he didn't.

"Um, yeah Dad, what about it?" His father looked up at him.

"Just so you know, I don't want you participating in it." Hiccup's heart sank. He hadn't really acknowledged it, but he had really wanted to participate in it. It was his chance to show everyone his power, and maybe even gain his father's pride.

"Why..?" Hiccup barely managed to choke out.

"It's only dangerous. I didn't quite expect ya to want to participate in it anyways, but I'm just letting you know. I heard that ya seemed interested in it this year, and I don't want you to get your hopes up.."

He wondered if Fishlegs had told the chief about the book, or if someone had seen him looking at the banner.

"But, I'll be fine Dad..! I'm not entirely helpless, I can..." he trailed off, deciding it'd be a better idea to avoid..that. "..work really well with weapons!"

Stoick sighed. "Weapons are prohibited, Hiccup, you know that. I'm sorry, but that's final."

Hiccup knew his father was just trying to protect him, but he felt anger flare up in his veins. He walked up the rest of the stairs, into his room, and closed the door quickly, flopping on his bed and sighing. He didn't have to help Gobber tonight, so he decided to work on something else. He pulled a notebook from his drawer, then put it back in after a moment's hesitation and slammed the drawer. He grumbled.

He was going to enter that contest, and he'd like to see them try to stop him.

 **Done with another chapter!**

 **thatjustprime: Elaborating on the explanation in the chapter, he'll probably become a novice in air before he starts on his next (which is fire). Water is the same difficultly as fire, though, but earth is easily the hardest. Air opposes earth, after all!**

 **Next chapter: Hiccup is dead set on entering, and will have to ignore Stoick's orders to do so! The dragon seems like it knows a lot more than he does about his bending, and when he visits it the next day, he's very surprised to say the least. And, how is his invention for the dragon coming along? Find out next time on No-Bender Revamped!**


	6. Toothless the Dragon

**I'm back again, here you go!**

 **Last chapter, Hiccup found the dragon making some kind of eerie summoning circle. And, the dragon warmed up to him! But, best of all, Hiccup is no-bender no more! He learned that he is an airbender, and he's unbelieving at first. Plus, there was an odd spark that resembled fire when he was aiming for the element...**

 **Anonymous Noob the 2nd: No problem! Glad you continue to read my writing!**

 **KZ: You're not too far off from the plot in a certain aspect of your review. Can't say which, of course! Also, thanks!**

 **Eris: Glad to hear it! I think you'll be more than satisfied with this chapter. Tons of action!**

 **(I'll let you all know when I have the error fixed, for now, just assume it's there!)**

The fact that he had met a night fury who seemed to be also a witch, the fact that he could airbend, and even the fact that he could possibly even firebend as well led him to consider the fact that the fateful dream had been a vision. It was a guess, but it made sense. If the night fury could use magic, why couldn't it affect him? Also, he hadn't experienced anything like it after. He would have said before as well, but then after thinking for a moment, it did seem familiar in an odd way. He couldn't quite reach the memories, though. It would become very frustrating when they were so close, but he just couldn't recall when, what it was like, and who he was.

That's what was on his mind in the early, fog-ridden morning when he was hammering on a piece of metal. He was trying to forge a perfect, reinforced rod. He figured that if he was able to make one, he'd simply copy the design. He needed five or so, and then he needed a piece of leather as well. He'd probably use some tips to get some if a trader came soon, but if not, he'd simply use a piece that he could find in his room or in their storage.

In the past 10 years or so, Hiccup had become more and more solitary. It became rare to see him outside with various reasons for so. Most of the time, he'd rather not risk getting into trouble concerning Snotlout, any others of his age, or any villagers for that matter.

Hiccup was still internally fuming about his conversation with his father. Of course, he had barely slept last night; even if he wanted to, he doubted his mind would ever stop creating scenario after scenario, idea after idea. But, there was one thing that was there in every idea, every situation; he attended. Hiccup knew he'd have to train like his life depended on it, because, ultimately, it could. He could get exiled if he didn't do it right. They might think he was some kind of monster, or some kind of witch. Or, possibly even worse, they might think he was a god. That was pretty funny to Hiccup, or Hiccup the Useless.

His thoughts quieted down as the fizzing of the rod created a cloud of steam that warmed his face even from afar. The room had become rather humid, which made it warm. It was probably for the better, though, as he didn't have to worry about his body temperature or if he had enough layers.

Hiccup poked the orange metal with his previously made rod, the one he always used as a tool. Even when lava hot, the rod he was forging at the moment was impenetrable, or at least using his strength. Which, to be honest, wasn't exactly much... at that point. Hiccup knew that much. He patted himself on the back, mentally, of course, and quickly scratched notes of how he made it. He decided that he'd do the rest later, so he left the rod to cool off in a circulated yet secluded and hidden place, laid his smithing apron down and wrapped it around the rod, and then left. He doubted anyone would suspect a thing, probably thinking it was just scrap metal wrapped in cloth. Gobber'd probably recognize it, but Hiccup would have moved it before then.

~.~.~

On his way over, Hiccup caught sight of the dragon-training ring. He saw the others practicing. They were being taught the rules of the festival, what to say, what will get the opponent out, and, of course, different tips and tricks that will work better against certain benders. He felt a pang of longing, sadness, and...jealousy. He had all the right in the world to be jealous; over a decade of neglecting and shame and being pushed around all because he was _different_. That couldn't help him from feeling like it was his own fault, though.

The memory of him being able bend struck him, the only thing that could throw a rope into the hole he had dug himself into. No, the hole _they_ had dug, and pushed him into, and persuaded him into thinking he had made.

So, when Snotlout glanced at him, sneering, the look Hiccup shot back was so unlike his own. A cold glare that could mean nothing other than 'I'll beat you, back off,'. Snotlout looked surprised, the look sticking onto his face before he turned back. Hiccup had gotten through to him, and he smiled to himself with pride once again.

Hiccup wondered if Forseti of justice had finally decided to turn the tables on Berk. He'd pray and thank him just in case.

~.~.~

With only 3 weeks until the festival, Hiccup knew practicing every day was a must. He had missed 16 years of practicing, and he needed to make up for some, if not all, before the festival. The ground that wasn't quite muddy, but not fully dry squished and squealed under his boots as he made his way into the forest. He was staring at the floor, his face turned into the slightest frown and his eyes squinted the smallest bit. He felt happiness, excitement, sadness, worry; but he didn't know what to do with them. All these years, he had kept them bundled up, or at best, let them out in his work...but, now that there were more, what was he to do?

"It's awfully suspicious, you know," a familiar, feminine voice began as Hiccup jumped and turned his head towards it, "for someone who has always stuck to his agenda to become suddenly very interested in the forest," He could see her axe glinting faintly but nearly blindingly as she raised it slightly, clutched firmly in her right hand. "Especially when that someone is taking the same route everyday." She tossed her axe into the other hand as Hiccup took a single, slow step back and put his hands in front of him out of fear. "So, either we can do this the easy way," she looked down at Hiccup, who's eyes were alight with fear. "Or, the hard way," she paused for a moment before she continued, "no-bender," she spat, finishing.

It took a moment before Hiccup responded. Luckily for him, he was great under pressure, so this wasn't the worst thing that could have happened..he hoped.

"Well, uh, you see Astrid, the truth is..-" Astrid raised her axe to his throat faster than his eyes could grasp. "And, don't try to pull anything _funny_ , either."

"Well, Astrid, um, actually, why are you out of training? I thought they all wen-" She touched the axe to his neck, nearly drawing blood as his hands were raised on either side of him. She looked away for a moment before speaking "The only reason they had to go is because they were too incompetent. I, for one, already studied all the rules, and I've surpassed the qualifications."

"Quali-Qualifications?" Hiccup asked out of an imbalanced mix of trying to stall, and genuine curiosity. Maybe, if he passed these, he could wear a cloak or something and they'd let him past?

To his surprise, Astrid answered him straight on. "There are a series of tests before you enter that determine if you're illegible to fight and if you know the rules." Astrid continued, looking him in the eyes now. "I excelled in everything, but that's not of my interest right now. Besides, what are you going to do with this knowledge? Even if you actually wanted to join, it's not like they'd let you. You have to be able to work your way out of three bending scenarios. Earth, fire, and water." Hiccup was more than relieved to hear this. That meant he could actually join without explaining his bending! Another victory in his favor, though again, with no way to express it.

"So, one more time. What's in the forest that's interested Berk's infamous heir?" Astrid began, and the look in her eyes reminded him that Astrid wasn't one to forge hollow threats.

"Well, Astrid, the truth is..." he regretted not using the time he bought as wisely as he could have, and quickly finished tying the threads of a fake activity. "I was..reading! You see, it's not very peaceful with Snotlout, the twins, and even sometimes...err, the other vikings, and certainly not an ideal place to read." He thought for a moment. "Um, if you don't believe me, you can even ask Fishlegs! I chatted with him about it the other day!" A small bead of sweat that he could feel rolling down his temple begged to tell her otherwise.

She grabbed him by his collar swiftly, staring at him for a moment just to see if he'd cry out that it was a lie, but after what seemed like hours of reading his facial expressions, she dropped him to the ground.

As she started walking away, already behind him, he heard her say a single sentence. "I'm keeping an eye on you, Hiccup." His name was spat out like a weak poison with a terrible taste. He listened to the sound of her boots tramping reassuringly. Well, if that was what she was like _without_ the intimidating water wall behind her changing forms...he didn't want to see her use it on him.

~.~.~

He arrived at the cove, sliding down one of the walls of the place. His brown hair flew every which way as he did, nearly messing with his concentration and causing him to fall. He landed on the firm ground, not surprised when a certain void-colored dragon paid him no mind. It was fishing, which was good to Hiccup. He didn't want to keep bringing fish. It wasn't costly, but it didn't have a positive impact on his coin, but that mattered much less to him when compared to the fact that the dragon might not be able to hunt on it's own. He felt a pang of sadness when he realized consciously that he'd have to part ways with the dragon. Or, maybe he wouldn't..?

He had decided to call the dragon something un-dragony, as it would raise less eyebrows for the time being. He looked at it's maw again, and saw that now it had teeth. Odd, as it hadn't last night. He'd look into it later.

"Mr. Night Fury, I don't suppose you know anything about airbending?" He leaned over, picking up the slightly damp book and putting it inside his vest. The dragon glanced at him, but continued fishing a moment later. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to train me?" he asked, jokingly, of course. When the dragon caught a salmon a moment later, pierced, then swallowed it, it looked at him. Hiccup didn't expect to hear a voice that he instantly recognized and associated with the dragon seemingly inside his head.

 _``Sure. It might be a little hard, though, considering the fact that...``_

The voice stopped mid-sentence as the night fury took a look at Hiccup's face. He had gone pale, thinking either he had completely lost it this time, or he was dreaming, or maybe he had heard something wrong, or maybe someone was talking to him, a viking.

The _dragon_ couldn't be speaking inside his head, could he? No.

 _``Err..can you hear me?``_ The dragon grew closer as Hiccup became the embodiment of shock.

 _``Umm..I'll take that as a yes.``_ The dragon scratched behind his ear, what Hiccup would later consider the dragon version of a human scratching the back of it's neck.

 _``Oh..sorry, I didn't think it'd take effect so soon. I'm sure this is a surprise and all to you?``_ Ha, Hiccup really had gone insane! He was thinking a dragon was speaking to him, let alone in his mind!

 _``Oh, if you hadn't figured it out, it's the dragon speaking. Yeah, probably a shock and all, so sorry. I meant to warn you somehow, but I was still working that out because I thought the spell would take effect a little later..``_ The Hiccup that was confident not even five minutes ago had been reduced to a mess. How was this happening? Surely, this wasn't reality. Maybe he was dreaming, or going crazy..or something, because a dragon was _not_ just talking to him.

Hiccup gave up and decided to go along with it. Of _course_ it was a dream. Everything was too good to be true.

"So..you're a night fury talking to me..? In my head?" He thought for a moment. "Oh, that circle ring thing! That you were making the other day!" Hiccup glanced behind the dragon, checking to see if it was there. It was gone, but the ground was charred.

 _``Yeah, that.``_ It made a sound that resembled chuckling in both it's physical form and in his mind. _``I'm surprised you took this so well; I thought this was going to take way long- wait, never mind. This is real, you know. It's not another vision or anything.``_ The dragon scratched it's head with it's hind paw. _``Do you need proof?``_ Hiccup was silent, and it seemed like the dragon took that as a 'yes'.

 _``Well...take a moment and think. If this was a dream of some sort, explain the logic factor. From what I can tell, the festival is coming up. Wasn't it coming up in reality? And, you've felt pain, right? Not to mention the fact of how long this has been.``_

Hiccup...couldn't argue with those points. So, if this was reality...

Hiccup sat down on a rock. If he hadn't been in the situation he was in, he'd probably be a bit embarrassed he called it 'Mr. Nightfury'. But, then, he'd also be glad that this dragon was, in fact, a male. The pitch and depth voice told him so.

"So..then..um..I'm Hiccup."

The dragon plopped down next to him, sitting like a wolf would. _``Oh, I already know that. Who doesn't? Err..never mind, I'll talk about that later. For now, I'm-``_ A series of unintelligible grunts and roars followed, a string so long not even Hiccup could remember it.

"I'll just call you.." he looked at the dragon's mouth.

"..Toothless."

 **Aaaand this chapter's a wrap! Let me know what you think! I'm open to suggestions, but not all of them will be taken, as I'm trying to stick to the plot as much as possible.**

 **Next chapter: Hiccup has learned that he can speak mentally with the dragon. So, is it a dream? And..Astrid is onto him. When Hiccup practices with the fury, he becomes remarkably better, all the while learning more about his past, his present, his future, and he himself.**


	7. The First Avatar

**I've got another chapter for you guys! This contains a bit of lore, and it's different from alta's lore mainly because I couldn't find it/gave up fast.**

 **Anonymous Noob the 2nd: Honestly, me neither lol~**

 **Last chapter, Hiccup and the night fury called Toothless began to speak with each other for the first time. Astrid also crossed paths with Hiccup (purposely) and Hiccup had to tell her he was reading books in the forest, but she barely believed it. Now, as he's learning he can speak with the dragon, what will it tell him?**

In the future, Hiccup would come to wonder just how slim the chances were that the first time he and Toothless had a conversation verbally had played out so well. If he had had a second of doubt, or even less than that, he didn't doubt everything would have gone so much differently, and nothing would be as it was.

Hiccup didn't know that, though, as when that was actually happening, it felt like the worst scenario, but also the best. He somewhat wished that someone would shake him awake, and he'd be told that everything had been a dream. It wasn't out of the ordinary for him to have dreams of him becoming powerful.

He tried to tell himself it _was_ a dream. But, Hiccup knew all too well the difference of imaginative fantasies and reality.

And all signs pointed to this being reality.

But, if that was true, why him? Why was he the one to endure 10 years of torture, to be told and to feel useless for a decade, to have no purpose other than to make tools and repair homes (as much as he could, anyways), just to be told at the end of those years that he was the only one in his village, heck, maybe even in the whole world who could bend _air_? That he could speak to a dragon, and a night fury at that?

And why was all the weight of playing everything out, keeping the secrets, and the responsibility of everything that came with the two on his shoulders to begin with? He was just some kid called useless that everyone hated, had a dead mom, and was probably going to be murdered or exiled before he could take the throne, and it'd probably be Snotlout's doing, as he'd always envied Hiccup because of his inheritance.

But, these thoughts were all running in circles, panicking and throwing papers in the air as they read them, stomping around and yelling. Hiccup couldn't hear them, there were much, _much_ more important things to pay attention to right now.

He was sitting on a rock next to a night fury, who was also sitting, and listening to it talk- in his head.

His tribe-no, _anyone_ who saw him now'd think he was crazy. And, honestly, nothing was keeping him from going so.

Oh, except everything. Everything had worked together to tie him down, all his duties as they were shoved into his hands like books to study.

 _``So..if you need a minute to think, I can give you that. It's a lot to take in, I know from experience.``_ The dragon turned to Hiccup, and he could audibly hear him motioning his hands in his speech.

"No..no, it's fine. I mean...I've thought about it a little, you can just go on."

But, it wasn't fine. Hiccup felt something pounding on the inside of his skull, beating it's tiny little fists and relocating, trying to find the best place to escape. Rhythmically, though, always rhythmically.

Everything was connected. He had been right. His dream to the festival, the festival to the book, and the book to he himself. But, why?

The dragon sat for a moment, staring at him without a trace of emotion. _``Eh, suit yourself, I guess. Well, let's see here..``_ the dragon looked up into the sky, clearing any doubts from Hiccup's mind that he was the source of the voice.

 _``Oh, I'll start on that. Probably the best place to, anyways.``_ The dragon returned to lying on it's stomach, and Hiccup got the feeling the next thing he said would take a while.

 _``Well, long ago...``_ The dragon seemed like he was choosing his words carefully. _``There was an all powerful spirit. The spirit was destined to do amazing things, and when it looked onto the world of humans, it was ashamed. They fought among themselves, fighting and kicking and biting like rabid beasts. The spirit knew that if nothing was done, humans would soon become nothing but an extinct species mentioned once or twice in a new dominant species' history books. The spirit, it...``_ he paused again. _``It tried to help, but it couldn't from the spirit world. And so, one day, a child was born. The moment it was, the spirits, every one of them, felt a strong new life force, many times stronger and with more potential than the strongest man alive. So, the powerful spirit rushed to the child, and blessed it's own power, fading away in the process. It hadn't died, exactly; it had, in a sense, become one with the child. The child gained it's powers, and the spirit was able to control the child, though it always got out of hand.``_

 _``The child learned powers of unimaginable limits, powers of the four elements.``_ The hair on the back of Hiccup's neck tingled with the mention of the term he had grown to feel so many emotions towards so soon. _``Air, earth, water, and fire. And a fine man the child grew into. A peacekeeper. No wars started when he existed.``_

 _``But..there were two things missing. The man needed a being with him, someone or something that he had an inseparable bond with. And the spirits tried again. And, forth came the Avatar and it's Blessed. Of course, the spirits were more than overflowing with pride at this fact. A little too much, as it got to their proverbial heads. They decided that all humans should be blessed with the powers of the elements, or at least one element. So, it didn't take long until new generations of gifted children were born. Sometimes, a full grown person would awake with the power to control water, or to summon flames.``_

 _``There was a flaw in their plan; a fatal one. Because it hadn't been every human that had received powers, humans, having fear towards the unknown as always, and so the blessed were believed to be cursed. Children with gifts were thought to be omens of shame on families; sudden awakenings to powers made public were soon regarded by death penalties. Their numbers depleted as fast as a fire grows, and there became only clumps of scattered remains of what the spirits had made them.``_

 _``The second thing missing was the Avatar and the Blessed's lifespans. They would, of course, die in time. That was the one thing the powerful spirit could not do before it gave it's 'life'.``_ The dragon paused again, a time long enough for Hiccup to begin to wonder what time it was, but it continued soon after the thought came. _``The spirits, having shamed their race, weren't allowed to make such a large change as to giving the being eternal life. So, they did the next best thing. Both of the two would be reborn over and over in a cycle of the elements. The cycle never repeated or skipped a beat, always fire, water, earth, air. The Blessed was reborn as many creatures, but nearly always a figure of power, namely a dragon. And the Avatar was always a human.``_

 _``That brings us to present day. The Avatar's name has died away with the Blessed's. Strangely enough, every time the Avatar has been reborn in the last couple centuries, it was killed near instantly after either birth or discovering it's power. I can't recall the name of the last Avatar of the top of my head, but the last Blessed was a... friend of mine. She was the one who passed this knowledge onto me, and from me it goes to you.``_

The dragon closed his eyes for a long moment before looking to the boy with wide open orbs.

 _``I am the Blessed of this era. And you, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, are the avatar.``_

If Hiccup hadn't seen the look on Toothless' face, he would have laughed. He would have laughed long and hard, and hours later, used a single finger to flick a tear out of his eye, and then he would have asked the dragon sadly why it taunted him so. But, the seriousness of the fury's face gave him second thoughts.

"Ha..you're kidding, right?" Hiccup asked slowly, half-expecting the dragon to burst out laughing and slap him on the back good-naturedly.

 _``...No.``_ Something about the tone the dragon used hit Hiccup. The short response flicked some kind of switch inside Hiccup that had obviously had it's sticker peeled off by mistake, or a letter had fallen off to spell something else.

 _Panic._

A wave washed over Hiccup, making him feel uncomfortably overheated.

"W-what do you mean, I'm the Avatar? How do I- when did- why are you-" Hiccup stopped sighing. "It's a lot of responsibility, I guess...umm, do you have anyway to prove it?"

Toothless thought for a moment. _``Let's see here...oh, remember yesterday? I was trying to tell you to throw the fish, but you tried to burn it or something. I'm sure you saw and felt that spark as well? That was fire. No matter what, no regular mortal can have two elements,``_ he finished matter-of-factly.

The use of the word 'mortal' honestly struck fear into Hiccup's heart. What had he become, some sort of monster? He was pretty sure only the tribes that were in the archipelago knew about their bending, and more than a few were a bit timid towards Berk, if timid at all. Any feeling towards Berk other than a positive one and shyness was most likely hatred, fueled by the burning coals of pure, blinding fear.

"Well..if you say so." Hiccup didn't have anything else to go with for now, so what would it hurt to believe this for the time being. If he was shown something that proved it to be true or false, well, he'd become the Avatar or probably be eaten by the night fury, respectively. And, either way, he needed to train for the festival. Having someone help him or teach him wouldn't hurt, even if that someone was a night fury.

"Alright...so, what does the title of 'Avatar' ensue? I know there are a lot of duties, so what are they?"

The dragon stared at him dumbly for a moment, clearly surprised. _``..Um..well, to start it off, there's keeping the peace, choosing to spread the name of benders for good or keeping them hidden and tucked away, maybe gathering them all, stop a couple wars, learn earth and fire and water, but fire seems to be easy for you, master air, befriend dragons, probably learn-``_ another series of grunts and growls,``while _you're at it...``_

Toothless could go on for hours, days even, Hiccup decided. He felt the need to stop him when Toothless started to slow down, so he changed his mind.

 _``...and save the world, but I think that might be it. For now, at least.``_ Toothless looked down at Hiccup.

 _``So, are you ready to make the decision? I'll understand if you need more time.``_

Hiccup thought for a moment.

"Yeah..I think just a little more time. Can I ask a favor of you for the time being, though?" Toothless nodded curiously.

"Do you know much about airbending? You knew about all the other stuff, so I kind of figured..."

Toothless nodded once more.

 _``Yeah, I know a good amount, and if that's what you're looking to ask, I can teach you,``_ Toothless answered quickly, nearly cutting off Hiccup.

 _``What do you need it for, though? I doubt that you'll need it too soon.``_ He paused once more. _``Oh, the festival? That'd make sense; it's a solid plan from what I can tell, as the sooner and cleaner you can tell them everything, the better.``_

~.~.~

Hiccup had never thought that his best teacher yet would be a night fury, and a relatively young one at that. It seemed about his age, if not, just a couple years older. Of course, that was assuming dragons aged relative to humans, which he doubted.

The dragon had taught him the basics and explained airbending to him, thought he had barely been able to do anything. He had been told that when he hit the rock, it had been pure luck that he had done anything, and that he hadn't destroyed the whole place, which barely made any sense to Hiccup. Apparently, he had an overwhelming power that needed to be controlled before anything.

The most important thing he had learned to do had been the fine stream of air he had learned to make, hence the deep, perfectly circular hole in the cove's wall.

Hiccup got the feeling that the dragon had a lot more to tell him, but he also got the feeling he wouldn't tell him until or if he decided to accept the title of Avatar.

He stayed there long, and it wasn't until sounds of the raid could be heard that the fury himself suggested that the vikings might worry about Hiccup. Hiccup nearly denied it, but he knew just as well he needed to get back soon. With goodbyes, they parted ways, Toothless lying in a cave inside the cove. Hiccup could still see the bandages as he left, a stunning white-ish yellow against pitch black. They were tainted brown now, evidence of age.

Hiccup had a lot on his mind as he went to sleep that night. He had repaired many weapons, and could feel Gobber burning to ask questions, but he didn't ask the airbender about anything. Hiccup's tired hands were stared at for a while as he laid on his side, scarce moonlight illuminating his hands. He frowned slightly, just the fringes of his mouth turned in a disgruntled imitation of sadness.

 **And another chapter's done! Let me know what you think, what you're excited for, and what you're curious about!**

 **Next chapter: Hiccup soon will come to accept the fact that he is the Avatar. But, with another encounter with an annoyed viking, will he be able to keep his secret? How will he react when Toothless decides to cast another spell? Find out next time on No-Bender Revamped!**


	8. Note-Taking

**First off, I want to thank you guys for all the positive feedback! It's really inspiring!**

 **Second, I have a quick announcement. This chapter is much longer because I won't be able to post for a long while. It could range from a week to about 3, so apologies!**

 **Last time, we learned about how the avatar came to be, and just who Toothless was. How the Blessed was a guide for the Avatar, and how Hiccup could choose to accept the rank, but how Toothless urged him to.**

 **thatjustprime: It's hard to explain at this point, but in a way, yes. In another sense, no, but as I said, it's hard to explain. And, yes. The blessed is the spirit animal for the avatar. A guide as well.**

 **Guest: Aww, thanks a ton! I know that at the time I posted the first No-Bender there were a ton, but now I've only seen one or two that have kept going or have been started recently. I'm glad their plot is nothing like No-Bender's, though!**

 **Kal: Yeah, I will admit Astrid was a jerk throughout the first movie and through nearly all of Defenders/Riders of Berk... glad she's finally learned some respect at this point. I think there was a certain RTTE episode (correct me if I'm wrong) in which she got super defensive because either the twins or Snotlout called her out on her lack of respect towards nearly everyone (save for Hiccup and Stoick and sometimes Gobber), and it was a turning point for her. And, I agree with you, in this fic and in the actual franchise I think Hiccup is too forgiving, but that's coming from someone who feels like she physically cannot say no. I'm in no place to speak lol**

 **Anonymous Noob the 2nd: Thanks again!**

 **(hey psst let me know in your feedback if you'd rather I keep going a day a chapter, a couple days a chapter, or an entire chapter that's a little longer but skips a couple weeks and then gets to the tournament arc, personally I think the second option is best)**

 **Now, finally, into the chapter!**

The day hadn't started off as well as Hiccup had hoped.

With another fated meeting between two Horrendous Haddocks occurred in the early morning. In the past couple of days, Hiccup had always woken up earlier than usual, and had quickly whisked his oats into a substance that seemed like it couldn't choose between being a solid or a liquid.

Hiccup considered something. He wondered if his father had purposely woken up early to speak with him? It wouldn't be unlike him, and Hiccup could tell by the look on his face and his attitude as Hiccup seemed to pretend he wasn't there (he meaning Hiccup himself) save for a simple 'Hi, dad' when he came out of his room. He could tell without looking up that Stoick was observing him for whatever reason. What did he care if Hiccup was acting differently?

A wave of sadness washed over Hiccup at that though, strong enough to make the taste of the meal turn salty and bitter when his eyes stung. He quickly shook away the feeling as he always had, though, and simply waited for the storm to hit.

It didn't take long.

"Uh, son," Stoick began, "..I'd like for ya to go over and watch the..err..participants." He paused once more as Hiccup exploded inside, but only showed it by looking up at Stoick with a blank face. Not because he was annoyed, but because he wanted to see how Stoick wanted him to feel about it, it would be over much faster if he just appealed to him. Hiccup could tell he thought a moment before naming the others, because if he called them nearly anything other than that, he probably thought Hiccup would be offended.

Hiccup probably would be offended.

Inside, Hiccup was fuming. Of course, Stoick wanted him just to learn something from them, but it sure didn't feel that way in that moment to Hiccup. He realized it, but it didn't keep from angering him. Really? After forbidding him from entering the competition, he wanted him to go watch? So, basically, he wanted Hiccup to go suffer by taunting him with the fact they could enter because they were strong and all, and he couldn't enter because he wouldn't stand a chance- heck, he was forbidden from entering - and he wanted him to go watch?

Of course, those thoughts barely got past a second of existing before he remembered he was going to participate.

"I think...I think ya could use it. Maybe you can learn a thing or two from them?" He chuckled nervously, something maybe only Hiccup would have the audacity to label as so.

Hiccup looked up at him, offering a nervous smile. He was a little nervous too, as he knew he couldn't do anything against Snotlout when he came to pick on him. Luckily, Hiccup thought Gobber might be one of the teachers, so he'd be a little safer. Even Snotlout wasn't blind enough to try and beat up Hiccup when Gobber was watching.

"Um, yeah dad! I'll just.." Hiccup quickly sat up and started to make his way over to the kitchen...

"Wait, Hiccup," Stoick started, hesitating.

"...Nevermind."

Hiccup wondered what he was going to say, because for once he actually couldn't tell. There were so many mixed emotions on his father's face that every time he looked, he had a new answer.

Hiccup scrubbed his bowl clean.

~.~.~

It wasn't necessarily a long way to the training grounds for the year. It was just that he had received so many questioning looks from everyone and so many glares that he had decided it best to simply take a shortcut. This year, they had decided to branch out more than all of the other years, probably due to the record-setting amount of houses destroyed last year. It was a meadow, one so beautiful and bountiful Hiccup nearly considered asking them to relocate, as it would surely be destroyed. He knew it wouldn't do anything, though, because they'd never listen to them and they were already set on the location.

He could tell because they had cleared all trees in nearly a 1 mile radius. Luckily, Toothless was nowhere near them, so he had no risk of being found at the moment.

Hiccup had decided to go through the forest, and when he got there, the first thing he saw was a cleared out area in the middle of a grassy sea. The area was circular, and he estimated it was about 30 feet by 30 feet. Outside, there were stone and wood stairs for sitting on, and Hiccup supposed that at the bottom, the more comfortable chairs were reserved for more important people. There were about 5 rows of seats so far, but Hiccup knew there'd be far more soon.

He decided to take the closest chair possible, which just happened to be a comfortable, padded seat. He had a notebook, simply for the purpose of observing their techniques. He already knew them by heart, but it wouldn't hurt to take a few more, especially now that he'd need the notes, and that his style of fighting had changed (before, it was run and hide).

The second thing he saw was a huge pillar of fire shooting into the sky, much higher than any tree on Berk. It was terribly hot and controlled with nearly no smoke. Even from so far away, he could feel the sudden explosion heat on his face. It was uncomfortable.

The third thing he noticed was a cackling Snotlout in the middle of the inferno, safe and sound as it faded away. Of course, until Gobber ran over (or, hobbled over), and scolded him. Hiccup could imagine he was telling him about how he didn't want to deal with fried vikings, and Hiccup smiled a little.

He was sure Snotlout saw him, for his smile that had turned into an annoyed look was now a growl, a rather threatening one. Hiccup quickly wiped the smile off, but it was hard to keep it away.

Hiccup got up, moving to a different location in case Snotlout decided that he'd rather aim a little lower and a little to the left, possibly accidentally grazing the tip of the seating area just a bit.

Just the tip, though.

Hiccup did admit that it was a little embarrassing to watch them and take notes like some kind of lower creature, but that's what they viewed him as anyway, so it wouldn't really change anything.

Right?

The reason Hiccup wasn't amazed at Snotlout's fire rod was because Astrid was up next. She was the best water bender he knew, and by far, might he say. She viewed water as an extension of herself, which allowed her to become one with the water, in a sense.

It was a little corny, but it worked.

Hiccup watched as gallons of water slowly glided out of the buckets and formed a huge puddle of water in the air. Astrid simply used one hand to turn it back and forth, as she thought that was what her weakest point was. Hiccup watched as it suddenly split into the smallest droplets and shot so high up into the sky, he could hardly see them. Oh, Hiccup had seen her do this before. It was a move that she'd usually do when sparring, and if she thought her opponent might be worthy. She'd shoot them so high into the sky, her opponent would either forget about them or become so occupied trying to figure out what they were doing up there, that she'd..

Apparently, now Astrid and Snotlout were sparring. Snotlout always challenged her, thinking that one day, the results would miraculously change one day, but it always ended up with Astrid victorious by far. Not to mention the fact that she had water, and Snotlout was fire. Snotlout must have been warming up before, then, because that attack was pretty much useless in a fight like this. Unless, he was trying to change the water up there into steam? If so, he had a long way to go...

Now, Astrid was using the water she had left to make a water-like hand, her signature move. She could use it to scratch, and she could use the pressure to push herself off the ground and into the air. Hiccup was surprised Snotlout had never seen the attack where Astrid flung the water up, as it seemed he didn't care to do anything about it other than use it against her.

"Oh, are you going to make it rain, Astrid? I can make it rain fire for you, you know," he added a wink to the end of his call.

Astrid gagged, before returning to smacking him into the ground with the water hand. Snotlout had fire surrounding his fists and feet, thinking he could get into there and change it to close combat.

He was wrong, of course.

It wasn't long until a high pitched falling noise starting echoing through the plains, causing Snotlout to freeze and look up for a moment.

That was all it took.

In less than a moment, Snotlout was pinned to the ground by shards of ice perfectly formed and placed, so close to his skin that the warmth started melting them. But, of course, they didn't touch him. Astrid was taunting him, defeating him without even touching him. Technically, though she viewed it that way, the water wasn't an actual part of her...

..So she had won without touching him once.

She smirked at him, stepping on his chest lightly as he wheezed.

"Better luck next time, lover boy."

Astrid _was_ Hiccup's favorite warrior, after all. She would be best to fight with if you were outnumbered- though that attack took so long to actually hit, it had such accuracy and take out so many, it was probably the best attack he had seen.

Of course, excluding Stoick's attacks.

It was then that he noticed Fishlegs and the twins cheering. Fishlegs was taking notes, of course, and Tuffnut had what looked like the leg of a chicken and was eating it. Ruffnut was taking it from him as he cheered with a full mouth, and ate most of it. He let out a cry of dismay, and grabbed it back after he noticed.

Hiccup smiled. Maybe they'd accept him once he trained hard and long for the festival, and maybe even won it?

 _``Hey, are you busy?``_

Hiccup yelped and jumped a foot into the air, nearly falling out of his seat. Everyone turned to look at him.

"Err..I uh..forgot to do something, I'll..I'll be right back.."

Hiccup ran around to the back of the seating. He knew that there was a ledge inside it, high up but where sound couldn't echo and you couldn't see anyone up there unless you were a giant. He narrowed his eyes for a moment, and then leaped up. He tried to channel air to push him upwards, but he had never before, so he wasn't sure if he did. But, he made it up there fine.

He sat down, feeling safer that way. No one had followed him, luckily.

"What was that?" He whispered agressively, thinking Toothless might hear him.

 _``Me asking if you were busy,``_ the dragon answered sassily. _``I'm assuming you were?``_

Hiccup scoffed, annoyed. "Yes, I was! Now everyone thinks I'm more of a lunatic than they already had, and if they spot me, they'll..."

 _``...But they won't, will they? Actually, that was rhetorical, don't answer that. I need to speak with you.``_

"Wha-bu-..I'm a little busy right now, and I can't just talk to you! Like I said, they'll think I'm more crazy than they already thought!" Hiccup paused for a moment, thinking. "Can't I speak to you in my head or something..?"

Toothless paused. _``You think we don't have a privacy policy of some sort?``_ Hiccup paused, about to say something but now taken aback and at a loss for words.

 _``No, I'm kidding, just think what you want to say.``_

Hiccup sighed. He swung down without thinking, and then gasped as he started to plummet face first. He quickly held his hands out and closed his eyes, hoping to make an air cushion. It was when he was shot back and then he drifted down gently that he knew it worked.

He walked around to the front again, and nobody seemed to notice, which was good for him.

He sat down, ready to watch. Now, Fishlegs was going to fight Ruffnut. He expected lots of splashing, as that was Ruffnut's style. It was better for her to blind or distract her opponent, as she had amazing control of water, but she couldn't make it quite as dangerous. It was probably only due to years of putting out Tuffnut's fires.

It was silent in Hiccup's head for a while, as he was deep in thought.

 _``..You want to ask me something, don't you?``_ a pause.

 _``I can tell. What is it?``_

Hiccup hesitated for a moment.

 _'Where did you get that wound from? After I thought about it, it must be pretty hard to penetrate a night fury's scales, let alone burn them away. It couldn't have been a viking, so what was it?'_

Hiccup was pleased when Toothless responded, glad he could speak through his thoughts.

 _``...The Red Death, the mother of dragons.``_

 **Thanks for reading this chapter, I hope you enjoyed it!**

 **Again, my apologies for the wait to come! I'll let the 'next time' be extra long!**

 **Next time: Hiccup will learn how Toothless was found out to be The Blessed by the Red Death, and how it attacked him! And, Hiccup has made his decision about the Avatar..what will it be? Fishlegs has decided to confront Hiccup about bending..and Stoick has decided to finish what he was about to say in the morning. With the Elemental Festival on the horizon, who knows what will happen? Find out next time on No-Bender Revamped!**


	9. Acceptance

**Hey, I know what you're thinking, 'I thought she was gonna be gone until the 19th!', but surprise here I am**

 **I have about a week of time where I can write, and then break again, and then school (woo yay yeah woo hoo)**

 **So pumping out chapters quickly is a must, I'm determined to make up for the time lost! Expect to be spammed if you're following~**

 **Last time, Hiccup had to watch the others train and spar. He learned he could think to speak with Toothless, and that Toothless had been scratched by the Red Death.**

 **fs440: Thank you so much! This is really good feedback.**

 **I also noticed how it interrupted the flow a bit, but of course it was in hindsight. I've been tossing around a couple of ideas, but I think I'm going to stick with the original opening for this chapter. It's pretty important and explains the break a bit, if not expanding on it (? I'm trying to english but can't).**

 **Also, thanks for the compliment! I do love myself some cliffhangers as long as they aren't for me :,)**

 **Sorry I missed you last time, I didn't post the newest version I had in another tab so:**

 **Corrupted Winter Command: (response to line 4)**

 **Purple Master: Hope you're satisfied with this, then!**

 **Anonymous Noob the 2nd: It's so hard to restrain myself from just writing it all in a chapter and skipping everything else, but I must! It sucks though lol**

A distant light squawking penetrated the eerie silence that seemed as if it were the fog's doing as it rested on the waves. The ocean was nearly still, to a point where the sound of splashing and waves could only be heard if one strained their ears. Pillars of rock stood, most of them bearing broken pieces of man made material, some even carrying entire viking crafts. Some let a lone flag hang, a reminder of yet another failed trip, even more lives lost.

And to the cause of what?

Their desire to kill, to destroy, to rid the world of the beasts that stole and ate and raided time and time again. They had never made it to their nest before. The only benefit that came from every trip was how it helped pinpoint their options.

The young heir had stayed behind, and his father, the chief, had gone. The heir had objected, his love had gone on the boat, and it had seemed to anger him. After all, the heir would be come the chief soon, and whether that was a good thing or bad depended on how you were to look at it.

His lover stared at the rocks as they past, a look on her face neither sad nor excited, but rather one of disappointment or worry. Journey after journey had been unsuccessful, and before she had been somewhat eager to participate. But now, now it was different. She had seen their true nature; the animals weren't beasts at all. They were probably intelligent and loving creatures, but she had yet to prove the theory. She had found out through experience that vikings weren't people to budge unless physical proof was witnessed by them first-hand, being stubborn and all. If they found the nest today, she'd probably weep. The dragons would be killed, slaughtered mercilessly. And she'd be the one at fault. Or, at least, in her opinion.

They returned to the docks empty-handed the next day, their hands maybe even a little emptier than at first. They had lost their chief, and that meant that the heir, Stoick, was to take the throne.

It wasn't more than a couple months until Valka and Stoick wore rings of the same set.

But, that was the first time Valka had seen the nest, and on the voyage, she had been the only one other than their chief, who had been carried off then dropped onto land. By a night fury, nevertheless.

Though only Valka had seen.

~.~.~

 **(A/N: Present day now, if you got confused~)**

Stoick the Vast clutched a dagger in his hand. It was feeble and irrelevant to him, his own strength far more powerful than anything the so-called weapon could do. He drove it downward into the map he had been observing, a place torn and tattered from many of the same actions.

"We'll set off tomorrow for the nest. We're getting close, you can practically smell the beasts already! Now, who's joining us?" his booming voice echoed throughout the Great Hall, far louder than any horn.

A silence was born and only lived a few seconds until a wave of muttering hit the crowd. Excuses and real reasons because an unintelligible blur as one spoke with another, not waiting for the other to finish.

"Silence!" he called.

He paused for a moment before smiling to himself.

"Whoever stays behind," he started slowly, "has to watch Hiccup."

It didn't take even a moment before a plethora of hands shot into the air paired with hundreds of different positive replies. Even those with real injuries didn't want to watch the helpless child. Some took pity on him for being so weak and pathetic, some considered him a curse to their tribe. Some even thought him possessed and come to haunt them all, or maybe traumatized so deeply that his powers never surfaced due to his own mother being eaten before his eyes as a mere babe.

Whatever the reason, no one wanted to watch him.

"All right," Stoick clapped his hands together. "This will be our last search before the festival, and to make it count I figure we end the raids once and for all." This was met by a couple of grunts symbolizing agreement.

"Our mission is simple. Find the nest, do away with the devils, and our lives will be infinitely better."

"Are you with me?" The hall could shake with the noise as all of the vikings agreed, shouting and yelling eagerly.

As the vikings filed out, Gobber stayed to speak with the chief. But, before he could open his mouth, the latter began to speak.

"Gobber, I need ya to stay behind and watch Hiccup along with the other teens. Teach 'em well."

Gobber didn't bother to look up at him or say what he had intended to. "Figured as much."

Stoick let out a sigh as the door closed altogether.

"What am I going to do with him, Gobber?"

Gobber stopped to swish around his cup of mead. "Put 'im in training with the others."

Stoick looked at Gobber. "No, I'm serious."

He replied without looking again. "So am I."

Stoick drew a deep breath, but it ended sharply and quickly. "He'd be killed before the first sparring match, Gobber!"

"Oh, ya don't know that."

"I do know that, actually."

"No ye don't."

"Yes, actually I do."

"No you don't!"

"Listen! You know what he's like. From the time he was born, he's been..different. He doesn't listen to anything I say, Gobber. He can hardly carry out the simplest orders I can think of! He's got the attention span of a terror. I take him to go fishing, and he..he goes hunting for trolls, Gobber!"

Gobber was quick to respond, his first words delayed a bit when he was swallowing. "Trolls exist! They steal your socks. But only the left ones. What's with that, anyways?"

Stoick seemed to ignore him. "When I was a boy..."

"Oh, here we go again," Gobber muttered quietly.

"My father told me to start a fire in my hand. I thought it was crazy, but I didn't question him. My hand kindled a burning flame. It taught me what a bender could do, Gobber. He could crush mountains, level forests, tame seas! Even as a boy, I knew what I was, what I had to become." He paused, turning around.

"Hiccup is not that boy."

Stoick sighed after a long period of silence.

"I've already forbidden him from participating, Gobber. It'll only taunt him and make matters worse."

"Yes, but wouldn't it be a good opportunity to distract him from his machines and what-not? He'd learn a thing or two to defend himself, and maybe he'll become just as powerful as the others."

Stoick looked at Gobber. "You have a point, but what about the dragons? Once their training begins with them, Hiccup will be killed for sure."

Gobber set down his mug. "Just give him a chance, chief. That's all he needs, just one chance. If he fails, he fails, he will accept that he won't be a dragon killer. If he succeeds, then he'll be satisfied; for you, it's a win-win situation!"

Stoick contemplated, not sure if he agreed with Gobber with the win-win situation.

"Fine. I'll give him a chance, but pull him out if it gets too dangerous."

~.~.~

When a horn had sounded, Gobber had told the teens that they weren't to fight or do anything much unless they wanted to get injured or die. Hiccup knew that horn called for a meeting in the Great Hall, and he had no doubt in mind they were going to try and find the nest; again. It had been silent for a while, but it wasn't long before they started sparring again, lightly though.

 _``She's a queen, of sorts. She..``_ the dragon hesitated.

 _``She uses the dragons to feed and serve her. The weaker she simply commands. But the stronger and more defiant..``_

 _``She'll take control of their minds. Sometimes, there'll even be a dragon powerful enough that she'll use as a vessel. The queen will take complete control of it's body as if it were her own, and command the troops from there.``_

Hiccup went silent, having a feeling he knew where this was going.

 _``In her eyes, I was that dragon. After the current queen was born, it didn't take long for her to try and use me. I resisted, of course, because when an alpha decides to take complete control of you, they...``_

 _'They see all of your memories, don't they?`_

 _``..Yeah. She would have figured out that I was the Blessed, and it wouldn't have taken long for her to retaliate with death or even a hunt to kill the Avatar. After all, you're pretty much destined to kill her. She's trying to destroy your home town and all.``_

Hiccup didn't respond.

 _``You..would want to protect it..right?``_

He didn't respond to that either.

Toothless was silent.

 _``...Well, after I told her I could handle it on my own and would lead them for her, she started to get angrier and angrier. It wasn't until about a week ago that she blew over, having grown tired of it. She..she tried to eat me, but missed. I shot at her, and I hit her eyes. That was a mistake of mine, admittedly, as it didn't take long until she gave me that scratch. She let loose a fine stream of flames, and of course my scales blocked it, but they were weakened a bit. She probably noticed, because that was when she shot a giant paw up and nearly grabbed me. I managed to escape, but it wasn't before long that I crashed onto Berk. I had sensed your presence there, but I wasn't sure who it was, and I wasn't sure if you were ready yet. I had hoped that maybe you could sense me too, and that maybe I'd be able to find you.``_

 _``..Admittedly, I had spied on you a couple times before, but unknowingly, I swear!"_

Well, that explained a lot. The feeling as if something was watching him, and how he would sometimes catch a glimpse of two green orbs slashed open with darkness. And why he had an overwhelming desire to help the dragon.

 _'So...what powers does the Blessed have? I mean, I doubt even a night fury could survive with those wounds for so long...'_

Toothless was silent for a while, and Hiccup started to become unsure if he was thinking or if something bad had happened.

 _``The blessed can heal faster than a normal member of it's species. For instance, if a Blessed was a chicken, it would survive a week or so without a wing and with nothing to stop the blood flow. Pretty handy, huh?``_

 _``The only downside is that scars are extremely visible and take longer than normal to heal, making a weak spot. Spirits aren't flawless, after all.``_

 _``The closer the Blessed is to the Avatar, the more powerful and more heightened it's senses are. Once they've bonded, the farther away, the weaker, but they can still communicate if long distances apart. Obviously, if they're half-a world away, they can't really communicate, and about ten miles away is when it gets fuzzy.``_

Hiccup could tell by the tone that the dragon wanted him to ask about something. It seemed as if it would fit his personality well, so away he asked.

 _`Bonding?`_ Sounds of splashing and cracking nearly disrupted his train of thought, but he quickly reminded himself he was safe.

 _``Why, yes! Bonding isn't exactly what you'd think, not friend-bonding, but you probably already figured that out. It's when both accept their roles, and they become linked, in a sense. They gain all sorts of perks; the other can see through their companions eyes, but in honesty, it's usually the Avatar through the Blessed, as a creature has a better sense of awareness than a human most times.``_

 _'Hey!'_

 _``I'm partly kidding. But, when you look through the other's eyes, you can smell and taste and hear what they hear overlapping your own. You can't control them, but it'll feel as if you're making their decisions, if that makes sense. In other words, you'll think you're them. There have been too many times where an Avatar lost themselves for amounts of time ranging from hours to weeks where an Avatar lost themselves in the mind of their Blessed. Some have even died. Imagine how the Blessed felt.``_

 _``But, I doubt that'll be a worry to you, as my senses are so far advanced than yours, it'll be near impossible not to notice it.``_

 _'Hey, what have you got against humans?'_

The dragon ignored him. _``I can also disappear, in a way. When we bond, my existence becomes more spiritual, but no where near my existence becoming non-physical. You get a marking of sorts, almost like a tattoo, but time has no effect on it.``_

Their chat was interrupted when Gobber returned.

 _'I'll talk to you later, in the afternoon.'_

Without a response, he wondered if Toothless heard him, but felt an immense pressure relieved. It wasn't painful, but it wasn't really pleasant either; it was just gone.

"Alright, as ye lot could assume, they're going out on another raid. I've got to stay behind and watch you all. Of course, the training will continue and probably end before they're back, but be assured that they will be back before the festival. Hiccup, as for ye, I believe your days will be less empty in a while."

~.~.~

What could that have meant? What did Gobber have in store for him? Hiccup walked up the steep path to his residence. He wasn't surprised to see Stoick poking coals inside, his head bent low in concentration.

Apparently, not concentrated enough to miss the skinny boy.

"Hiccup," he started sternly.

Oh, he knew this all to well. He had already made it halfway up the stairs by now, so he awkwardly turned to face him.

"I need to speak with you, son."

Hiccup was honestly worried. What this time? Was he to never be let out again?

"Son..I've decided."

"You'll join the others in training. It's best, but again, unless you somehow learn to bend, don't get your hopes up. You probably won't participate."

Hiccup was awe-struck. This was perfect! That meant more training time! But the only downside.

"Dad, that sounds great, but, uh, mind if I skip out on the dragon-wounding or killing part?"

"You'll start tomorrow. You'll need this," Stoick tossed an axe into Hiccup's hands, weighing him down some.

"I don't want to fight dragons,"

"Oh, come on, yes ye do!"

"Rephrase; Dad, I can't kill dragons."

"But, you will kill dragons!" Stoick piled a dagger that Hiccup doubted was even that but rather a small sword into his arms.

"No, I'm really very extra sure that I won't."

"It's time, Hiccup."

"Can you not hear me?"

Stoick put his hands on Hiccup's shoulders and stared into his eyes.

"This is serious, son. When you carry this axe...you carry all of us with ye."

He gave Hiccup a pair of gloves that he assumed was for him if he started to firebend.

"Which means you walk like us...you talk like us. No more of...this."

Stoick threw his hands forward.

"You..you just gestured to all of me."

"Deal?"

"This conversation is feeling very one-sided.."

"Deal?" he repeated, sterner and louder.

Hiccup looked down and sighed.

"Deal."

~.~.~

 _'Sorry, Toothless, I didn't have time. I lost track and..'_

 _``No, it's fine. So, from what you've told me, you have to train for the festival they've literally banned you from..?``_

 _'Yeah, it's fine, right?`_

The dragon thought for a moment. _``As long as you save some time to train with me. You probably already know, but it's unwise to use your bending in front of them to an extent where it's visible. Just dodge and jump, and I'll teach you how to use it to make your blows harder. Nothing hard enough that they can see, right?``_

 _'Yeah.'_

Hiccup stared out his window, lying in bed and illuminated by moonlight. Toothless understood what that had meant just as well as he did. That 'yeah' was more than a response just to the dragon's requirements.

"Yeah," the avatar replied.

 **Alright, same old, lemme know what you think! This chapter was fun to write for some reason, but I'm excited for the next couple.**

 **Next chapter (lol won't take long): When the other teens see Hiccup, their response is anything but positive. But, Hiccup has something in store for their training. When his first match is up against Fishlegs, how will he hold? Find out next time on No-Bender Revamped!**


	10. A Stream of Tears

**Told ya it'd be quick~**

 **Last chapter, Hiccup learned he had to train with the others, and that if he did good enough, he might even be able to participate (which would be bad for him, everyone would know it was him and they'd stop it early). WE learned that Valka originally saw the nest before anyone else on a raid in which Stoick's dad died. We also learned about the Red Death and how she was the one who scarred Toothless. Toothless can heal faster, and has extra powers being the Blessed.**

 **(cutting to the point because I need to post this now, next chance would be tomorrow)**

 **Corrupted Winter Command: Indeed~**

 **(psst I read Mythical Beings and I can't wait for more)**

 **Anonymous Noob the 2nd: Sorry if that was unclear/I misunderstood your review, but if you're saying why he doesn't want to bend in the final tournament, I meant to say he can't bend heavily in training! If he did, it'd be visible/noticeable, and it would give him away too early. Also, in the tournamente, he'll most likely wear some sort of cloak up until his final match, and then take off the hood.**

 **Also, guys, school is starting soon for me and chapters will come out slower, so apologies!**

Hiccup wasn't asleep, was he? He couldn't remember what sleep felt like. He could see. It was his through eyes, watching him lie in his bed with his face turned away from the moonlight. He could see the air go in and out of his system, causing his chest to rise and fall. But, he wasn't there. He was watching. And in the bed, lie...

It whipped around, eyes such a penetrating sage that they seemed to leave trails of the green light in the air. His teeth were sharp, he could tell as his lips parted in a agape mouth. His pupils were slits, the iris of each eye having taken over the white entirely, and he could see sweat beading on it's face and soaking the earth under it. It disappeared.

Oh. He was in his own bed, now, watching with closed eyes. Yet, he could see everything.

He slowly sunk downwards as his bed gave way to a portal of sorts, though invisible. He floated down.

He pushed himself up and looked around him. He was on dry ground, cracked, even. No grass, but about 5 feet to his left and right were foliage that quickly lead to trees and then to thick forest. In front of him lay a path of sorts to an outcropping. It was a cliff, and past that cliff was the embodiment of destruction. A volcano was erupting into a sea, dragons were flying everywhere, attacking one another seemingly at random, species that even in his dreams were exotic and amazing to him. He looked a little closer, though it was obviously there, and saw a black heap. It was an organized heap though; and he got closer.

The dragon's wings were folded and it sat, it's neck bowed over something lying in an awkward position. He could see an alarming red dripping closer, a puddle that was so pure it hurt him when the dirt started to glide on the surface of the droplets.

He took another step.

Toothless lie bending over a dragon. Oh, that was the source of the blood.

It was a dragon he couldn't recognize. It didn't look like anything he'd seen before. It was a beautiful brown, flecks scattered throughout it's pelt that looked like shards of diamonds. It had frills on it's head, almost like a crown, and it had a draconic smile on it's face, staring up at Toothless. It was then that he saw it.

It looked like a nadder's spine, but it was huge. It was black with iridescent spots covering it, dully shining from the light of the volcano. It was protruding from it's chest, dead center. It was when it's eyes blinked one last time and opened again that he saw something had left them. It was their shine, their life, and it had left. He gasped.

Toothless whipped around, staring straight at him, his eyes filled with tears. They had been streaming down his face, and still were.

His eyes were the same sage of the beast's.

Hiccup gasped as he flung himself awake. His hands supported him as he lay awake, panting. Judging by where the moon was, it would have already been past the raid, but as he looked outside, he found it was raining.

There couldn't have been a better chance than this.

~.~.~

Now dressed in his best apron and after grabbing a handful of scrap metal, he quietly tip-toed down the stairs, praying Loki wouldn't make a fool out of him. It was near pitch-black outside, and he knew all he had to do was grab the candle that had always been left downstairs just in case of this. Honestly, it was for Stoick, but Hiccup was going to use it now.

He put the tip of his toe onto the first step. Slowly but surely, he bent his foot to let his entire boot touch the step. He put his weight on it, slowly adding more and unfazed when the stair did literally nothing. After all, he did live with Stoick the _Vast_.

"Alright, one step down, only..." His words spiraled off as he looked downwards. They seemed countless. He knew being quiet was critical, but time was as well!

Hiccup braced himself, ready with a reckless plan, and took another step forward.

This time, he had placed the back of his foot on the step and used that position to turn himself around, so he was facing backwards.

He lowered himself and then proceeded to slide-crawl down the stairs, never completely letting go of a stair. It was rather ridiculous, though, as he probably would have made it fine walking.

But, better safe than sorry, right?

He made it down and grabbed the candle. He had to rummage a bit for a cover, but found one quickly. It had been his mother's, and the metal lining the glass had been sculpted to look like dragons dancing. To Hiccup, they had always looked more human than dragon, but it didn't matter really.

He opened the door, bracing himself as the sound of rain quickly shot through the door. He stepped out, drove the door near the frame, and stopped it just before it closed to push it gently and soundlessly.

His father wasn't exactly a light-sleeper, but again, isn't it better safe than sorry?

~.~.~

He stepped into his workshop located just near a watchtower. A fairly new one as well. It was just an extra storage room, but he used it as a forge for training and for making machines, but of course, hardly anyone knew that. The rain pattered so loudly that he could hardly hear his own hammering, so he doubted anyone else would.

He had tons of sketches of Toothless, many for how long they had known each other. He had wanted to fix his tailfin, and he doubted Toothless knew, as he had forgotten when they had spoken mentally.

Luckily, he hadn't forgotten the rods at the blacksmith's after he watched the teens, and could use them to make the tailfin now.

He grabbed the sketches for them and placed them on the table. Most were of designs, but the rest were materials he needed and measurements. He had gotten them once when Toothless was napping after the dragon had told him to practice everything.

Hiccup hadn't learned much overall, but for a couple of days, he was advanced. Toothless had agreed with him on the plan to use his bending in the festival, as it was probably their only and best shot.

Of course there were other options, but Toothless had told him about those.

 _``Of course, you could just show everyone out of the blue, but that'd end with you and me, eventually, being burned like witches. Actually, I'd probably just leave and wait for the next Avatar.``_

Hiccup had been annoyed by that, but by then he had learned the dragon was very sarcastic and liked to joke a lot.

 _``You could just tell your dad or mom, because you're probably closest to them, but chances are they'd still be scared, and you'd be burned on a pire.``_

 _``If you do it during the festival, there's probably a fifty-fifty chance you'll be burned, as if worst comes to worst, you can just run away. All the other times you'll already be too close to people, but in the festival ring, it's probably secluded so spectators don't get hurt. 'Course, you vikings don't care much about that though, do you?``_

Toothless had gone on to tell him that if he needed to, they could pack and leave. He'd understand if Hiccup got homesick and wanted to return, but he told him it'd have to be under a different identity.

Hiccup had then asked if telling them was necessary in the first place.

 _``If you'd rather just leave them behind, that'd be fine, too.``_

He considered that option for a time, then thought about how sweet it'd be when everyone finally accepted him.

~.~.~

Hiccup held up his handiwork, admiring it. Sure, it wasn't finished, but for a night's work, it was impressive.

He was pretty tired, sure, but it was a small cost for the tailfin.

Hiccup froze. He had completely forgotten about training. He smacked his forehead, moaning, and then instantly regretted it and rubbed his forehead sourly.

Okay, this was fine! He could just sleep the rest of the night and...

It was then that Hiccup noticed the sky was more blue than black, and that the moon was nearly gone. He could get in a couple hours of sleep, but only a couple.

He sighed and laid down on the cot swinging from the ceiling, staring up at so. He told himself to go to sleep, but part of him was scared to, and he couldn't tell why. It was when he finally reached slumber that he remembered.

 _The nightmare._

~.~.~

Hiccup awoke at the crack of dawn. He had slept just enough so that he felt even sleepier than he had before. Hiccup knew that it'd go away soon, though, and quickly grabbed an extra vest. He stuffed the other tailfin in. With a deep breath, he reminded himself that he needed to lay off anything too powerful on the airbending. Toothless had told him he was a natural, so it be harder to use less power than it was to use more, and Hiccup accepted that. He knew he'd be fighting mostly hoping that he could dodge quick enough his opponent would fall out of bounds or onto their face, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized it was going to be way harder than he thought.

He made his way onto the path going towards the tournament, and was relieved when the entire way there he didn't run into any of the teens. He was even more relieved when he arrived and only Gobber was there.

"So, Hiccup, you excited for training?" He asked gleefully.

"Yeah, woo, excited to get pummeled."

"C'mon, Hiccup, cheer up! If you think you can't do it, just step out of the ring. Oh, and by the way, I'll let you use a wooden sword."

Hiccup thought for a moment. Yes, that was probably a good option. It'd make it look as if he had simply been training to use a sword this entire time! A good excuse to be able to dodge as well, but sadly not one for being able to jump higher. The only downside is he had a feeling the others would either pick on him about it or maybe try even harder out of jealousy, but namely Snotlout on the latter. He doubted even Tuffnut would be jealous, even he'd remember that he could bend.

But, so could Hiccup.

Once the rest of the group arrived, Hiccup was met by an assortment of groans and complaints of how he shouldn't be allowed in or that he would only waste time.

Snotlout looked him dead in the eyes, sneering. "So, Hiccup, are you going to use your forest ninja skills to win?"

Hiccup was confused. Did he know about the training?

"Oh, come on Useless, everyone knows you go off into the woods for whatever reason, but you've started doing it even more lately. Can't wait to see what kind of lame tricks you've got up your sleeve this time!" he taunted.

Hiccup let out a sigh of relief, but Snotlout must have taken it for a sigh of annoyance, because he turned back to him and looked serious.

"Look, Useless. If you even try to get in the way of me and winning the festival, I won't hesitate to knock you into next month. Got it?"

Hiccup nodded, swallowing. He knew Snotlout well; he seemed unobservant and frankly unintelligent, but at the most critical times, he was the exact opposite.

Snotlout turned again, joining the group this time. Luckily, they hadn't been watching.

That was the first time Hiccup realized how important timing was with everything involving Toothless, bending, and the Avatar.

"Alright, lads! Today, we'll be sparring again. If ye hadn't noticed, Hiccup will be joining us today. Now, because Hiccup is...err..." he thought for a moment nervously, "..devoid of an element, he'll be supplied with a wooden sword. Nothing able to inflict damage, just to block blows. Now, 'tis good to note it is not fireproof, so Hiccup, be aware of that."

There was an assorted mix of groans and cheers, belonging to their respective benders, meaning the firebenders were gleeful.

"Our first match..." Gobber stopped to pull cards out from a helmet, one that wasn't his own, though, "...is Ruffnut versus Hiccup! Also, forgot to tell ye, but we'll be sparring within a bracket system this time. After this, we'll start with what ye've all been waiting for; the dragons! Take yer seats everyone!"

Hiccup quickly wrapped up the tailfin in his extra vest and put it below a seat. He knew they probably wouldn't spot it anyways, but he didn't want to risk raising anymore eyebrows.

As everyone found a seat, Fishlegs started chattering about how Hiccup's stance suggested he relied on a heavy attacker, but Hiccup could care less. He was warming up by tossing the sword from hand to hand and weighing it, bending his knees and jabbing a couple of times. To be honest, he wasn't the best swordsman, but as far as weapons went, it was his best.

Ruffnut, on the other side, was practicing by dropping her water into the bucket over and over. She was able to surround her hands in water, like Astrid's, but actually on her hands, like gloves or claws of some sort. And, this had five fingers instead of three.

"Contestants, to your respective starting places!" He looked over and elbowed Snotlout and whispered, "I sound official, don't I? I've been practicing!"

"Let the battle begin!"

 **Sorry I stopped at such a bad point, but the chapter was getting a little too long! Don't worry, Ruffnut vs. Hiccup will come soon!**

 **Next chapter: Hiccup and Ruffnut's battle begins? Who will be the victor? And, it seems Astrid has decided that she needs to investigate once again. Not to mention Toothless has decided it's time for another spell, giving Hiccup an oppurtunity to ask Toothless about the dream! Find the answers to your burning questions next time on No-Bender Revamped!**


	11. Not Exactly Rivalry

**Hello, I'm finally back again, after a multiple week-single month break! ...Ahh, I'm sorry! Things got in the way and...I may or may not have almost forgotten about this.**

 **But, fear not! I promise this chapter has enough action to make up for the deprived time gap!**

 **Also, about the Hiccup versus Fishlegs mistake, I got mixed up because Ruffnut and Fishlegs had recently fought (I think). My bad, sorry.**

Hiccup swallowed. No, he wasn't going to loose. But...if he won, what would they say? He hoped they'd take it as an unpredictable series of luck. That'd be perfect.

And he wasn't going to back down. He was tired of it. He reevaluated his stance, narrowing his eyebrows and swallowing once more. It wasn't a nervous gulp, like before, but now it was one that had a sense of finality and victory to it. His lips turned up at the ends in an attempt of a confident smile.

"Let the battle begin!"

He paused for a moment to let himself catch up. He had been thrown into the ring, but luckily he had been given a wooden sword; they though he couldn't bend. He could use that to his advantage. But, at the same time, he couldn't use too much of his power; he didn't want to attract any more attention than a helpless nerd could when he suddenly beat a waterbender who had been training her entire life. Not to mention the extra training she had received from having to put out her brother's fires constantly.

That is... _if_ he won.

He looked over to Ruffnut to see her practically invisible. She had created a cloud of dust as he was watching, watching but not paying full attention. He clutched the sword nervously, tensing his muscles. He could feel strength and anxiousness surging through his body in waves of heat. He took a deep breath, then tried to imagine himself transferring that into his legs.

Ruffnut was growing ever closer. Now, she wasn't even 20 feet in front of him. He could see her clearly now, she had launched herself forward, but he wasn't sure how she was going so fast. If she had kicked off of a wall of water, she would have simply sunken into it.

No! This was something to think about later. He had to move, now! Tire her out with defense, then surprise her with offense; it was bound to succeed!

He waited, ignoring the feeling of fear and worry and panic and sickness that was flaring in his stomach, it's icy tendrils reaching into his limbs attempting to assert themself in and take control. No, he wouldn't let them. He had to wait.

Hiccup stared at her. Only ten feet or so now. Eight feet. No, six, about his height away. He had to move, _now..._

He leaped out of the way, using his bending to push himself, almost like jumping into the air then jumping again on an invisible shelf. He soared through the air sideways, not too high, but at a height he doubted any of the teens could reach without bending.

Ruffnut stared at him as he did, water engulfing and distorting her hands. A look of disbelief on her face and being portrayed with body language, the momentum kept her going forward. He looked on further to find the others staring, open mouthed. No, this wasn't what he wanted, he had to stop! It would only lead to pain and suffering for him and others!

But...it felt so amazing to have them praising him, in a way, for once. Well, it wasn't really praising, but... thinking more of him.

It was fine as long as he didn't go overboard.

He let himself fall, landing with two feet just in case it was too tall of a height for one. He switched to the left, then the right, then both again, staring at Ruffnut with renewed ambition. He would win this, and he'd do it right.

He would win, and he'd do it right.

To his surprise, it didn't take long for her gaping mouth to change into a smile of determination. Perhaps she was enjoying this? A good fight? In her position, he would have expected a waste of time, too.

She launched at him again, this time curving at the very end and coming at him from the left. He raised his sword, and in a flash, he had penetrated through the water with the side of the sword, and was holding against her own hand. His arm was trembling. Right, he needed to remember. He hadn't really gotten much stronger physically, but he had become stronger because of the air bending. He was many times faster now, and he could even attack.

Ruffnut narrowed her eyes and pressed against the sword harder, sweeping it away. He could tell she was caught a bit off guard, though, as her stance was different now, looser and less defensive.

Hiccup leapt backwards a few feet, then a few more. He drew back his foot in an arch, readying himself. His sword was flailing this way and that, and his knees were anything but bent. He could do practically nothing more in the area of physical combat. Sure, he knew a catalog of techniquies, but he couldn't think of all of them and which would be best in the moment and which he would use if she attacked, and so on. Heck, he didn't even know how to properly hold a sword; he was pretty much self taught, and because of that, it'd take a miracle to reteach him how to hold a sword the right way. The way he was holding it, he'd be better off using a book or a slab of wood!

He narrowed his eyes in return, launching to the side. He could get a good look at what she was doing with the water without having to fear for his life now.

There was her hand covered in a layer of water about a foot thick. Actually, if she wasn't chasing someone right now, he wouldn't be surprised if it was more of a projection of her hand with every detail intact. It was rippling right now, though, from the movement of her hand. See, if _he_ was a waterbender, he'd have a layer of air inbetween the hand and the water at all times, because that way he could have more force in the water, it wouldn't be being torn backwards and sideways and forwards all over the place.

No, it wasn't the time to analyze and comment on trivial matters, there was nothing he could do right now! He had to focus.

She looked like she also had water going up her arm. At the shoulder, it was almost billowing. Rippling, but not in the way water usually does. More like a cloth being shaken, but the effect mirrored all the way around the limb, almost like a puffy sleeve of sorts.

Ok, so that was almost surely the source of power and force, where she was gathering momentum from. Spider-like legs (he shivered mentally at this) were coming from there, not the hand. They would then shoot her forward, and she could punch Hiccup.

..And she was upon him before he knew it. And, just like that, Hiccup jumped away, gasping. She had swatted him and knocked the air out of his lungs. He was already 10 feet or so away by reflex, but he obviously hadn't been fast enough. Honestly, what was he thinking? It was a stupid thing to think a brand new rookie could defeat someone who had trained their entire life.

The element of surprise, though, made them near equals. She still had no idea what was going on, and if she did, she was probably still trying to grasp onto the idea he had been training.

Okay. Water was hard to fight. You couldn't really punch it, and only fire could turn it into steam. So, the only logical thing he could do would be to blow it away. But...how? She was bending it; was it even possible to blow it away? It was practically part of her when she was bending. Plus, he had to remember to keep pretty much invisible. He supposed he could just try in really thin streams and use it almost like a blade, to slice of pieces of water?

Blade! He had dropped his sword. When she had grazed him, it had slithered out of his grasp and spun away on the ground. Curses!

This was fine. He'd make do! He could still fight fine, and he could easily get his sword back!

...That is, if it would stop...before..it slid right behind Ruffnut...nevermind, yep, he'd go without his sword.

No, _he needed the sword._ How was he to fight without it? But, Gobber had said it himself; blocking was pretty much the only thing he could do with the swooden sword. Sure, in a sword battle, you could do some offense, but against a waterbender? No, he'd stick to defense, lest he wanted to be picking splinters out of his palms for days.

Hiccup readied himself as Ruffnut flung herself at him again. This time, she was approaching with a different stance. Her feet were closer together as they pounded back and forth, and she was holding her arms further down and closer. The way she wobbled side to side as she ran reminded Hiccup of some kind of nimble dragon built with a thin frame.

Stick to defense, he had to remember. Offense would only lead to him failing.

As she got closer, the screaming of his instincts got louder and more frantic, it repeating for him to run away, unbelieving he was just standing there.

Hiccup narrowed his eyes once more, planning to jump at the very last moment. It was almost like Ruffnut was an angry yak charging at him, and he was taunting it for sport. Except he knew that instead of impaling him with horns or throwing him 20 feet with force, she'd rip him limb from limb with claws.

Okay, not _really_ , but it felt like it!

He leapt away, slightly yelping as he started to make a running motion midair, loosing his balance. He fell onto his chest, his head being carried forward and onto the ground with the momentum. He laid there for a second, then swung his legs in a circle motion and stood up simultaneously.

~.~.~

Astrid wasn't sure about this at _all_. Hiccup, who had been absolutely terrible at everything and anything all his life and had had nothing was suddenly holding his ground against a warrior who had trained her whole life. Heck, he was making a fool out of her, treating her like some mindless brute! How dare he?

Pretty good for a nobody.

 _Too_ good, in fact.

She watched as he leapt out of the way of Ruffnut once more, who, at the moment, was practically letting smoke out her ears and nose with anger. She had fought with Ruffnut many times before. No, she had trained her often. So..how was this happening? A week ago, Hiccup would have been gone within the first few seconds, only taking more than one second because Ruffnut had to get over to him.

Observe, she told herself, and you'll find the answer.

So, observe she did. She could feel Snotlout's breath somewhere near her, and even if she couldn't feel it she could smell it. Astrid could subconsciously recognize him saying something to court her, but she could care less.

Ruffnut was tiring out; that was obviously his plan. On a side note, she'd never seen Ruffnut act like this. Maybe she was so unbelieving, she had forgotten all about her form and counter-plans and everything, a blind rage.

Hiccup kept dodging, but something about it was off. Astrid watched him dodge a couple more times, and she realized he was jumping really far. That made sense, seeing as he had leaped way higher than no-bender-ly possible earlier, at the start. Before, she had just thought maybe he had jumped off of something, or maybe had used a trick or cheat, but now...maybe he _could_ bend, and this entire time he had tricked everyone. Maybe he was _so_ powerful, he had decided to hide it from everyone to protect them, and Stoick was just overselling it.

Hmm, that seemed like something Hiccup would do.

No, he must have learned how to firebend, maybe. She couldn't see anything, so he must have just generated a small flame and used the heat-

No, that doesn't make sense.

Astrid shook her head angrily. None of it made sense.

So, she'd just find answers for herself, and for now, she could just watch and use clues later.

Hiccup kept doing this, and eventually, Ruffnut caught on. In one of such exchanges, she finally curved at the very end to confuse Hiccup, but he simply leapt backwards as if he had seen it coming. It was then that she truly caught sight of his expression. His eyebrows narrowed in clean lines. His mouth was curved in a frown, his tongue slightly out in determination.

What was he doing?

Ruffnut stumbled forward, loosing her footing and falling face first. The stadium went silent behind her except for a couple late whisperings of Fishlegs.

Astrid felt bad for Ruffnut. She could tell it would be hard to beat Hiccup...but, still, it couldn't be _that_ hard.

As Ruffnut lay struggling to get up, Astrid was surprised. Hiccup was drawing his sword. When..when had he picked it up? She thought he had lost it. He must have picked it up so quickly and smoothly she hadn't even noticed.

Hmph. Impressive.

He drew it, shaking visibly from where she stood, and held it to her neck.

Hiccup had won.

 _Hiccup_ had won a match against a formerly un-defeat-able foe.

She felt like she should cheer, but..she felt like she should roar in fury.

Astrid sighed.

~.~.~

Later, Hiccup received showers of attention. Ruffnut was reassured by Tuffnut, a rare thing, but Snotlout teased her angrily and Astrid simply gave her the cold shoulder, as she knew she had to, sustaining the leader role.

Gobber had complimented and pretty much worshipped Hiccup afterward, and paired pummels of questions with it. As they returned to the village in a bunch, Fishlegs chattered at Hiccup, asking hundreds of questions. Tuffnut and, surprisingly, Ruffnut did the same, but less. They were curious as to how they could get so much better so fast, too. Hiccup was simply replying with avoiding answers, only making it more obvious he was hiding something.

Astrid was glad Ruffnut was being a good sport, but..

..She wished she could say the same for Snotlout.

He had been pouting and throwing insults at Hiccup whenever there was a silence or when Hiccup got remotely near him. Astrid was keeping up the head of course, so he wasn't able to really go ahead without fear. It wasn't that he was worried she'd beat him down or anything, it was more of a dominance thing. She was like the alpha, and he was only second in command. He knew to stay back.

She was keeping an eye on Hiccup. She figured she'd follow him again tonight, as it was worth a shot.

That is, if he went anywhere interesting.

Eventually, Astrid noticed he was carrying something wrapped up in his vest. It was hard to see, as she had to look back, but at first she had though that he was just carrying his vest instead of putting it on, but now she saw there was an oddly shaped bulge. Something long. And it looked like it grew at the bottom or top, whichever was facing upwards at the moment.

She'd have to figure out what he was finding, and she knew it'd be soon. She wasn't one to give up in the past.

And she wouldn't now.

 **Let me know what you think in a review, I promise I don't bite! If you're new and binge-reading, welcome, any errors are probably because I broke my spell checker app and STILL need to fix it...**

 **If you reviewed, I'll respond next chapter, I wanted to get this out tonight/whatever time it is in your time zone so that it'd be out earlier.**


	12. Test Flight

**Yes! Finally, here is the 12th chapter for you all! By the time this is posted, I'll have deleted the two updates that weren't actual story pieces. Also, hope you like the chapter!**

 **I won't be able to have review responses in this chapter either, but in the next they will be there. The reason is because our internet is down and because I live out in the boonies, it's taking until Tuesday to come back, meaning that I've had to use the little hotspot time I have to work on this. Enjoy!**

Hiccup sighed as he parted ways with the group. Finally, the hound that often went by the name of Astrid was off of his back. Sometimes, he couldn't believe she was 16.

Not that vikings really acted their age anyways.

It was because she had taken a role that had her acting almost like her own chief, though she certainly had far more respect for Stoick than anyone else and never tried to act anything other than responsible and humble around him. She, like anyone else, wanted his respect and trust. It was fairly easy to earn this, and the only people Hiccup could think of who lacked honor at all in Stoick's eyes were Hiccup himself and maybe Mildew. But she was a bit bossy to those she treated like underlings. Or at least, in Hiccup's eyes.

Hiccup brushed through tough grasses of late spring as they sprung back into their upright states behind his footsteps. The earth crunched as the wizened layer of last season's growth was squished and cracked under him. He liked this a bit, the momentary isolation. He had the odd sensation that he should appreciate this more, as if he wouldn't get a chance for this later.

As he kept walking, he admired the scenery. It was nice out, the air moist but not so much so that it would make him grow colder. The trees quivered gently with the evening breeze and the birds scavenging for the last meal of the day trilled. Every now and again there would be a stronger breeze, and the trees would sway and hum a echo of the sounds of waves. At a few different points throughout his walk he would stop and simply listen to the sounds of nature, and also listen to see if he was being followed. He had the odd feeling that he was, and he didn't like how he couldn't hear at all while walking. Pausing was the easiest resolution he could think of, though, and so pause he did.

When he could hear his footsteps echoing rather far off, he knew the cove was close. One of it's traits was that any sound nearby would echo. This made Hiccup even more jumpy when training or with Toothless. He was already far too jumpy.

He made it to the rim of the cove and circled a bit until he made it to the ledge. As he started to sit down and prepare to slide the rest of the way down, he had the oddest sensation of fear and awareness and he could feel every hair on his body stand on edge, his neck hairs especially tingly. He wanted to look around, but his instincts told him to keep his head down and his eyes staring at the rock under him.

When Hiccup finally was able to convince himself to look around, he saw nothing and had previously heard nothing. He looked all around, and one of his theories was that maybe Toothless was nearby and he had heard the dragon in the distance and got spooked, but when he realized said dragon was nowhere in sight and Hiccup couldn't find anything that could have caused this panic, he was terrified. Far more so than when he had actually gotten the feeling. This was because he hadn't the foggiest idea what had caused it. That meant that if there actually was something or someone following him, then he was helpless, and if it was some sort of omen for impending doom, then Hiccup wouldn't be able to know what it was warning him of.

He was able to to start thinking rationally with a start. If someone was following him, he needed to get away from the cove, and fast. He averted his gaze as quickly as he could and then continued walking but this time around the cove further and past it. He strained to hear anyone's footsteps, but he found it near possible to hear over his own as they mixed with the throbbing of his head, the rush of adrenaline, and the pounding of his heart.

Who would be following him anyways? He struggled to think of anyone that might be interested in his whereabouts. Hiccup sped up a little bit, worried and wondering if whatever was following him really even was human.

Hiccup made his way through the forest and well past the cove to the point where he felt safe to stop. He felt so stupid. He hadn't heard or sensed anything that was similar to the time previous and he wasn't sure if he was going crazy or not. Had he imagined it?

He made the decision to start walking back after what felt like an eternity of switching back and forth on returning or not. Just as he was about to take a step, he heard a subtle creaking directly to his right and his gaze darted to the source of the sound.

The familiar blonde stood in a sneaking stance. As their eyes met, her expression went from one of concentration and determination to one of surprise. What was she surprised about?

"Astrid..?" Hiccup asked, unsure why. Of course this was Astrid!

"Uh, I mean, fancy meeting you here! What, uh, brings you to this part of the woods?" Hiccup mentally face palmed for what felt like the millionth time. Why did he have to be so socially awkward..?

Astrid's look faded away as it was replaced with a look of frustration. She took a couple angry steps towards him.

"Save me the lame cover-ups, no-bender. What have you been doing out here? Some secret training or something like that?" She paused for a moment as Hiccup tried to speak. "And don't lie, either." She raised her axe close to his face as he pulled back. "I don't have time for anything like that."

Hiccup chuckled nervously and rapidly tried to form his excuse. "Well, you see, I've been..uh.." he paused, unable to think of anything. "..training?" It wasn't a complete lie, he had been training..but he wouldn't go into detail. He'd pretend he was just training with a sword, he decided.

Astrid glared at him. "Oh really? And with what?" She pointed to his vest that carried the tailfin inside. "Whatever that is?"

She sighed angrily. "Listen. I'm a busy person, so I'll say this once and only once. Whatever it is you're doing, training or whatever, the first time you get in my way or anyone else's, you'll regret waking up that morning. If I were you, I'd train and then maybe start acting like a real viking. Stop with your tricks and contraptions and whatever else, and start shaping up to be a _real_ heir." She retracted her axe and turned, starting to walk away. After a couple steps, she stopped and turned back to him.

"And who knows? Maybe that way you might even learn to bend." She had a small smirk on her face as she spoke, an expression Hiccup hadn't seen on her before. Astrid turned back and walked away. Hiccup stared until he couldn't see her form anymore.

~.~.~

 _``So, you just let her walk all over you like that?``_

 _'What?'_ Hiccup exclaimed. _'She didn't walk all over me! That's just...well, that's how she always is.`_

Toothless' face displayed a look Hiccup assumed was confusion. _``What do you mean, that's how she always is? I mean, she seemed rather angry to me, and if she was that angry all the time, she wouldn't be half as liked as you've said she is.``_

Hiccup sighed in both the real world and through their mental link. _'Not to everyone, just to me. Or anyone who "gets in her way", I guess.'_

 _``I don't understand. You haven't done anything to her, have you? I mean, maybe you smelled bad one day and she had to sit ne-``_

Hiccup cut the night fury off. _'No, no, it's not like that. That's how Snotlout acts around me, the twins are less aggressive but they like to tease me as well, and Fishlegs...well, he's just kind of.._ there. _He doesn't really do anything when it happens, he only stands there. It's nice that he doesn't act like them I guess, but still.. It's not that I've done anything to them personally, it's just that they collectively hate me.`_ Hiccup did realize that the dragon hardly knew these people, and what he did know about them, it was all from Hiccup's perspective and detailing; the dragon, luckily, had never really met these people.

 _``And what for?``_ the dragon asked. _`` You must have done something incredibly harmful or annoying or bothersome for them to react that way. And to be honest, in all the time I've observed, you haven't been all that badly behaved.``_

Hiccup sighed and thought for a moment. _'It's...complicated. I'd rather not speak of it here when I'm spending my scarce time away from them.'_

The dragon bowed his head in a motion that Hiccup understood as comprehension and respect for his wishes.

 _``..Well, moving on, there's something important to discuss.``_ The dragon rose from his lying position and started to pace slowly in front of Hiccup, who sat perched on a rock.

 _'I was going to say the same thing,'_ Hiccup replied with a sense of unpleasant familiarity towards this situation. He stretched his legs out for a moment while he thought. _'Or I was going to_ think _the same thing. You can go first, though.`_

 _``Well,``_ Toothless started, stopping mid-pace and plopping down. Hiccup was sure that, if he were a human, he'd be taking a long sigh right about now. _``We need to talk about the festival. I know how it is coming up very soon, of course, but more importantly, many adult members of your village have departed. Apparently, it's to go and let nearby tribes know that the festival is coming up.``_

Hiccup stopped, dumbstruck. _'And how do you know this...?_ ' This in turn, caused the dragon to stop too.

 _``Well, I was without anything to do while you were gone. I figured it would be a good idea to get some exercise, which has become scarce due to my recent injuries. On my walk, I happened to come across some of your ships and there were many of your people lined near them. Of course, I had to see what was going on. While I don't quite understand human language, through your crude mannerisms, body language, and gestures, I was able to piece that information together.``_

For a moment, Hiccup was happy after hearing this. This would make it much less risky to train with Toothless!

 _``Not only that, the risk being lowered, but also we will have more time to train. This will prove very useful, you've still got a long way to go.``_ Toothless sat for a moment, then met Hiccup's gaze. He looked annoyed. _``..Sorry. It's hard not to hear when you think so loud.``_

 _'What does that even mean?'_ Hiccup teased, then he thought for a moment. _`Wait...so my dad, he went with them, right?`_

He didn't expect an answer and wasn't at all surprised when there was none. A wave of sadness washed over him, and for a moment, it stayed. Then he wondered why he was so sad, though he truly knew.

Earlier had been one of the only times that he had actually won in anything. This was new and maybe, deep down..he had hoped to impress his father with it. Hiccup knew it was a stupid thought, but... he only wanted his father to be proud or even anything but disappointed as always. He quickly dismissed the feeling, though.

 _'But, anyways...I'll say what I was going to now.'_ Hiccup took his vest off with the tailfin inside, speaking while he did so. _'I noticed how your tailfin..it got damaged, and since I haven't seen you flying since, I thought...'_ he took the vest off and set it aside, then held the tailfin with two hands. He stared at it, then dared to meet Toothless' gaze. The dragon seemed to be simply staring at it, unsure of what to think. His narrowed emerald eyes studied it, pupils scanning it subtly.

Then altogether, the dragon's face lit up. His eyes widened to reveal surprise as his maw fell open.

Hiccup couldn't help but grin at the expression. He opened and closed the tailfin, and the dragon stood frozen still staring at it unbelieving.

 _'So, what do you think?'_ Hiccup asked. _'I noticed that sometimes, you'd space out just staring up. I think it should fit nicely.'_

It seemed the dragon had finally recovered from his shock, as his gaze slowly drew up to meet Hiccup's. _``For...for me?``_

Hiccup shook his head. _'No, for the_ other _night fury who is missing a tailfin.'_

Toothless' look of awe instantly switched to a bored look of annoyance. He stared at Hiccup for a moment, and the boy stared back sheepishly, holding in a giggle at the dragon's expression.

 _'Well, do you want to try it on, Toothless?`_ he asked. When the dragon turned around and slid his tail towards Hiccup, the boy started examining the dragon's tail. Of course, the fin was missing, but just how much of it was missing was what really shook Hiccup. The entire fin was gone. There wasn't even remnants that hadn't been damaged. Hiccup knew that the Blessed healed quickly, but _wow_ , that was really quick. It looked as if he had been born with only one tailfin.

He slid on the tube-like segment and then clicked closed the two halves when he figured the tailfin was in the right spot. He opened and closed it, then switched around for a better angle. He straddled the tail and reopened it once more, adjusting the position a bit when he figured it was good.

 _'Alright, I think-'_ Hiccup was mid-way off of the dragon as he spoke, and was preparing to see how it worked when the entirety of his weight was yanked forward. He let out an alarmed cry and squeezed his eyes shut. He could feel wind rushing past him and his hair flitting all around his face. His cheeks grew cold. He opened his eyes to see the world beneath him growing farther and zooming past.

 _'Toothless, wait! I'm not off yet! I still needed to find a way to secure it!'_ Hiccup pleaded desperately, and as soon as the dragon looked back, realization spread across his face. He swooped in an arc, much to Hiccup's dismay, and skimmed over the water of the pond. It was in the center of the pond that he lashed his tail and with it, flung Hiccup off as if he were an insect. Hiccup splashed into the water and quickly stood up, as it wasn't deep at all. He stared as the dragon tried to land but struggled and let out a cry before he crashed into a rocky cliff-side and slid down onto the ground. Hiccup caught a glimpse of the artificial tailfin and noticed it was closed and felt pity for the dragon as he waded over.

~.~.~

 _'I tried to tell you,'_ Hiccup scolded as he took the tail off of Toothless. He'd have to make a few edits, but in honesty he was rather proud with the results he had gotten. _'You didn't let me finish. I was going to explain how it needed a couple repairs and how there was no sure way to keep it open so far.'_

The night fury let out a low warble. _``I know, I know, I just got excited. I mean, at least we're both okay...-ish.``_ Toothless licked his paw which had been crushed between the cove's wall and his weight and momentum. It wasn't really too bad of an injury, but he would need to be cautious for the time being.

 _``I really do appreciate it, though.``_ Toothless looked to Hiccup. _``It means more than you know. Losing flight to a dragon, especially one as renowned for their speed as I am...it's as if you as a viking became an outcast for some horrible crime. Although for dragons, it's not really pressure and disappointment coming from other dragons, but rather, from yourself.``_ The dragon stared into space for a while, then huffed and started to clean his shining paw once more.

They stayed like that for a while, Hiccup fiddling with the tailfin and Toothless cleaning peacefully. After making adjustments to his satisfaction, Hiccup broke the silence.

 _'So, what other training will I have?'_ he asked curiously, hoping to start on it. _'I mean, in the match today I didn't really have any offense bending to use, so I'd guess we'd start with that. The offense will probably be really hard to learn seeing as even the defense allowed me to win. I think it just might have been her strategy, though.`_ The boy looked to the dragon expecting an answer and was met with a look of surprise. _'What is it?'_

 _``You won the match?``_ Toothless asked slowly.

 _'Oh, did I forget to tell you? Sorry. Yeah, I did.`_ Hiccup thought for a moment. He had already gotten over the thrill, but he supposed it would be surprising for anyone else to hear about it. He was far weaker than the others, and then suddenly he won a match without too much exertion?

 _``That's...it means your training is going well. Great to know. This means that, yes, we can move on to offense.``_

~.~.~

"Hiccup? Hiccup! Wake up, lad!"

Hiccup jolted awake. In contrast to his sudden movement, his eyes opened groggily as he glanced around and took in his surroundings.

"Wha..oh, Gobber?" he looked to the blacksmith who stood in the doorway. Hiccup stood and instantly regretted his choices as his neck pulsated with pain. He had been working on the tailfin, he remembered, and he had just come up with a splendid solution, when he had started thinking about the next day, and then...

It was as if someone had dumped ice water on him. He darted over to the side of his desk and stood in front, blocking the sketches scattered all over from sight. "Oh, yes, I'll be out in a minute! Dragon training, right! Yes, haha, I just have to, uh, breakfast myself. I mean, er..."

Gobber looked at him skeptically. "Ehh..do what ye need to. Just be at the training site in 'round an hour." The man turned slowly and hobbled away.

Hiccup let out a huge breath. He sidestepped away from his desk and scooped up the papers in his arms. He swept them under a chest full of scrap material and set it back on top, hoping they were well enough hidden for no one to find them. Sketches of the tailfin weren't as ominous, but sketches of Toothless along with them mixed thoroughly would be a red flag to anyone who saw. They wouldn't know it was a night fury, but they'd for sure know it was some sort of dragon.

He made his way to the Great Hall to get something to eat and see if he could listen in on what their plans were for the day. It was very obvious that much of the village was gone, the whole town seeming desolate and abandoned, save for the condition of the homes and how every now and then there would be an older viking or a sick one walking around.

As soon as he made his way through the two big doors, his gaze crossed with the other teens'. They all stared at him for a while, which was new, but Astrid then glanced back at her food and Snotlout made a face at him. Fishlegs and the twins went back to eating in turn as well.

Hiccup shamefully averted his eyes and stared at the ground as he walked. He slid onto the bench of an open table and grabbed a bowl, filling it as he listened in.

"...and so, that was when I said, 'quick, get the dragon!', and...BOOM!" Tuffnut motioned with his hands above his head. He then lowered them calmly as he finished his sentence, smirking. "And that was how I got Ruffnut's braids utterly destroyed."

Ruffnut growled at this. "You only got me cause Sven was stupid enough to believe there was a dragon rampaging in that shack in broad daylight! Anyone else would have busted you."

"Nope, that would have fooled anyone. My prowess in trickery bestowed upon my by the great god Loki is finer than any other." Tuffnut spooned his gritty meal into his mouth and savored it as if it were the best food in the world.

"Guys," Snotlout started, capturing everyone's attention, "guess what?"

Fishlegs gasped. "We get to study dragon anatomy and find the best striking points?" he asked eagerly.

"What? No." Snotlout leaned close to the group as if to keep others from hearing. "Apparently, we get to fight dragons during our training."

Tuffnut gasped. "No way. I say you're bluffing."

"Am not!" Snotlout defended. "Before he left, I heard my dad talking about how the dragon training and preparation for the festival have happened to overlap for us this year, and so we'll be doing both."

Hiccup was surprised at this, though he didn't show it. He kept his head down, but inside he was feeling all sorts of emotions. He was mostly worried, however, as he knew it would be hard to find a way around fighting dragons. Some aspects were good, though, as he knew he'd get chances to learn things about different dragons.

He listened in on the rest of the conversation, zoning out sometimes when they spoke of trivial matters. But every now and again, something interesting would come up, and Hiccup would listen in again.

Eventually he finished his meal. He finished cleaning up and headed out, the brisk air tugging on his features. He trudged along the path to the arena-like structure, deep in thought.

He had a feeling there would only be a few more duels left, and he was prepared for them, he knew. He had learnt some useful moves that he had become decent at the previous day while training.

He picked his head up and looked forward, seeing the empty area. Hiccup sighed and then made his way over to a seat.

This was going to be a long day.

 **Thank you for reading, leave a review and let me know what you think! See you soon!**

 **P.S: My internet is down (if you didn't read the intro) and although I've finally repaired my spell/grammar check apps, they can't connect so sorry for any mistakes~**


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